Mayor's Code Enforcement Committee Meeting - September 10, 2026
Mayor's Code Enforcement Committee Meeting - September 10, 2026
The Mayor's Code Enforcement Committee convened on September 10, 2026, at 9:02 AM and adjourned at 9:40 AM. The meeting included approval of prior minutes, public comment from a resident about a neighboring abandoned property, discussion of multiple enforcement cases, approval of a revised open burning ordinance, and updates on litigation and policy matters.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the minutes from the August 13, 2026, meeting unanimously at 9:03 AM.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Madison Kluznick (representing her husband) expressed concerns about 830 Bow Lane, an abandoned lot with trailers inhabited by individuals, creating health, sanitation, and noise issues. She noted that the property is in foreclosure/bankruptcy limbo, making it difficult to identify an owner. She requested guidance and enforcement action.
Discussion Items
- 4A – Metro Square Picnic Tables (Police Department): The property owner has been non-responsive regarding removal of picnic tables associated with quality-of-life issues (fights, public drinking). The committee discussed legal options; the chair will follow up with the mayor's office.
- 4B – 572 Saybrook Road (Police Department): Ongoing overcrowding and unsafe living conditions in a designated two-family home (people in attic, one egress, no working bathroom, exposed wiring). The committee agreed to coordinate inspections involving fire, health, zoning, and building departments. Chief James noted past efforts and regression.
- 4B2 – 1171 Randolph Road (Fire Marshal): Update on a property zoned for assembly (former greenhouse) under special exemption. Owner is cooperating but must comply with fire and building codes. The fire marshal anticipates future involvement from multiple agencies.
- 4C – 830 Bow Lane (Added): Following public testimony, the committee discussed enforcement challenges due to non-responsive owner. Members will coordinate inspections, attempt to gain access from the public right-of-way or neighboring property, and assess violations. The chair noted constitutional limits on warrantless searches and difficulties without a clear owner.
- 5A – 142 South Main Street (Mayor's Office): Health, land use, building, and fire marshals provided updates. Health violations corrected; roof leak still being addressed (expected completion mid-October); fire department reported 95% compliance with life safety items; police no involvement.
- Fire Pit Ordinance Revision: The committee reviewed a red-lined version of the open burning ordinance to allow recreational burning under specific requirements. The ordinance was unanimously approved and will be forwarded to the General Counsel Commission and Common Council for adoption.
- 5C – 455-465 Middlefield Street (General Counsel): Litigation update – oral arguments scheduled for late September. Health, building, police reported no significant changes; a faint odor complaint was investigated but not actionable.
- Municipal Action Against Landlords Selling Cannabis Without a License: The Board of Health voted against the proposed ordinance. The matter will next go to the Public Safety Commission for consideration.
Key Outcomes
- Approved prior meeting minutes (unanimous).
- Added 830 Bow Lane and 1171 Randolph Road to the agenda (super majority votes).
- Approved revisions to the city's open burning ordinance (unanimous); to be sent to GCC and Common Council. Chair will forward to Deputy General Counsel.
- The committee directed departments to coordinate inspections for 572 Saybrook Road and 830 Bow Lane, with follow-up at the next meeting.
- The chair will contact the mayor's office regarding the Metro Square picnic table situation.
- Litigation on 455-465 Middlefield Street continues; oral arguments set for late September.
- The cannabis ordinance will be considered by the Public Safety Commission at its next meeting.
- Meeting adjourned at 9:40 AM.
Meeting Transcript
All right, we are now recording. Good morning, everybody. Um I'm calling this morning's meeting to order the mayor's code enforcement committee to order at 9 02 a.m. on September 10th, 2026. Um the first item on the agenda is the approval of our minutes from our last meeting on August 13th, 2026. Do I have a motion to approve those minutes? All right, Scott, thank you. Do I have a second? James, thank you. Any discussion on the motion? Any changes any need to be made to the minutes or updated or anything like that? All right, seeing none, all in favor, please unmute yourself and so signify by saying I. Any opposed? Any abstentions? All right, seeing none, the motion passes unanimously at 903 a.m. All right. Next up we have um our public session. Uh we do have a member of the public here today. We have Madison and Madison. How do you say your last name? Uh cluznick. Thank you. I didn't want to slaughter it. All right. So this is the time where members of the public are able to address the code enforcement committee. I will note that um we have a practice of limiting uh comments to five minutes. So if if you would like to address the commission, I know you have I got your emails and everything like that. I did send it to the commission or the committee before the meeting, and we'll we will be adding it to the to the agenda after our public session. Um but if you just want to like fill us all in on everything, uh just know you have five minutes and we'll we'll let you have that now. All right, sure. Yeah, I am currently representing my husband who could not be present today. Um, however, um we're kind of in a pickle. Um we have an abandoned lot next to us, um, basically in short, um the person that was previously building the property um went and had like a bankruptcy foreclosure. Um anytime that we have like kind of reached out for law enforcement help, you know, there's there's only so many limitations that you know that they're basically limited in what they can do because there's so many um there's many parties involved um or basically pointing fingers bank wise and what can be done, what can't be done. Um we filed um two different um incidence reports with the police um due to having um multiple trailers now on the property um with multiple um individuals now inhabiting those trailers. Um and it's become more of like a health and sanitation issue because those trailings aren't like bound by foundation, they're not leaving the property. There's one that's been there for you know over two months. There's now one that's been there for um about a month now, too. Um so it's a matter of where is that waste going, you know, and now just kind of more or less things like that. I know my husband kind of went into the nitty-gritty and um some of the emails that he had sent. Um, but it's just become, you know, it's more than just like an unsightly property. You know, there's just inhabitants there of, you know, they're not leaving, they're not going anywhere, you know, things of that nature. Um, so we're really more or less concerned with like the noise ordinances, the sanitary aspect of things. You know, they are running generators, you know, during the day, fine, it is what it is, but it's you know, one o'clock in the morning, two o'clock in the morning, three o'clock in the morning. Um, and just you know, we're kind of stuck and at a loss at what we can do. Um, we just more or less want the safety of that property, you know, looked at and the cleanliness of the property looked at, um, just because it is not only affecting us, but it is affecting surrounding neighbors. So we've just kind of been trying to put our heads together to see, you know, what we can and cannot do with the limitations that we do have and what we can see from you know our own property without actually trespassing or breaking any any laws on our behalf. But it's kind of again, we're at a standstill because nobody directly is claiming to own the property just because it is in it's not been a finalized foreclosure or bankruptcy. Um, you know, there's been no final judgment essentially. So there's a lot of finger pointing.
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