HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 3/5/2024 - Memorandum From Marcy Yoder And Kory Katsimpalis Re: Public Nuisance Ordinance Update
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Neighborhood Services
281 N. College Ave
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
www.fcgov.com
MEMORANDUM
DATE: February 27, 2024
TO: Mayor and City Councilmembers
THRU: Kelly DiMartino, City Manager
Tyler, Marr, Deputy City Manager
Caryn Champine, Director, Planning, Development & Transportation
FROM: Marcy Yoder, Sr. Manager, Neighborhood Services
Kory T. Katsimpalis, Sr. Project Coordinator, Community Development &
Neighborhood Services
RE: Public Nuisance Ordinance Update
The purpose of this memo is to share the 2023 results and actions taken under the Public
Nuisance Ordinance (PNO).
Results of implementing PNO:
The PNO Committee was formed in January 2023. Since that time, the PNO Committee has
reviewed a total of 39 properties. This has resulted in:
-the issuance of a Notice of Public and/or Chronic Nuisance to 13 properties.
-signed abatement agreements with 6 property owners.
-voluntary compliance/resolution on behalf of 6 properties.
-continued monitoring of 14 properties; this includes properties that were not deemed to
be a nuisance and/or did not meet the threshold for PNO at the time of investigation and
are being monitored for further violations.
-civil abatement actions were filed in the Municipal Court for 2 properties whose owners
either did not respond to the Chronic Nuisance Notice or who refused to enter an
abatement agreement after the Chronic Nuisance Notice was issued.
Background:
In December 2022, the Council adopted an updated Public Nuisance Ordinance (PNO) code
with the passage of Ordinance 136,2022. The purpose of updating the PNO was two-fold. First,
to address chronic and public nuisance properties where repeat nuisance activities were
DocuSign Envelope ID: 649D493F-EA58-42D2-9E19-2E7D6AD41647
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occurring. Second, to add new processes and enforcement tools that are more administratively
practical.
The PNO enables the City to stop repetitive nuisance activity occurring on properties that are
either a “public nuisance” or a “chronic nuisance property”. The designation of a property as
either a public nuisance or a chronic nuisance property depends on the occurrence or existence
of multiple and/or continuing “nuisance activities” on a property.
The purpose of the PNO committee is for collaboration and communication among multiple City
departments. Additionally, the PNO committee uses different cross-departmental perspectives
to discuss potential remedies to abate the nuisance activity and gain compliance from property
owners. The PNO committee is supported and facilitated by one Community Development &
Neighborhood Services administrative staff member. The PNO committee meets the 1st and 3rd
Thursday of each month.
Staff Analysis:
The PNO is an effective tool in gaining compliance and abating nuisance activities at properties
where previous administrative enforcement by City departmental action was unsuccessful.
Additionally, the continued collaboration among the departmental representatives at the PNO
committee meetings is an essential element to the success of the PNO enforcement. While
most of the processes and procedures of the PNO committee are now established, we continue
to see areas for improvement through our current PNO enforcement actions. The steps taken to
address and abate nuisance activity occurring in the City during the first year by the PNO
committee have proven more effective than the previous version of the PNO, which was in
existence for 22 years.
Next Steps:
The PNO committee will continue to meet bi-monthly to discuss public nuisance properties and
chronic nuisance properties. The next Council report from staff will occur in early 2025.
CC: Paul Sizemore, Director, Community Development & Neighborhood Services
DocuSign Envelope ID: 649D493F-EA58-42D2-9E19-2E7D6AD41647