We're gonna we have a committee meeting here today with Department of Code Enforcement.

This is just a very general generic meeting that we've asked for to ask for an update from uh Michael and Jake as to what's going on with codes and where they are currently.

I'm joined by Counselor Jones Rousser, Counselor Moore, Councillor Nave, Counselor Caldwell, President Paniagua, Michael Collins, and Jake Dish.

So I'm going to give you two the floor and go ahead and just kind of give us a big overall, and I'm sure we'll have lots of questions.

Yeah, I appreciate it.

I'll I'll start off and turn it immediately over to uh Deputy Commissioner Jake Dishhaw.

Uh but uh one just we are uh this is what we spend all of our time doing uh in so an opportunity to come together and share with you a lot of the successes uh that uh that we've had uh and some of the challenges uh in front of us.

Uh really just appreciate the opportunity.

Uh likewise, and good morning to you all.

Uh, as Michael said, Deputy Commissioner of Code Enforcement and Zoning Administration, Jake Dish.

Uh, I'm going to do a brief kind of introduction of just kind of high overarching um, you know, what code enforcement's all about, what our team is, and how we function, and we can get into details after that.

But uh, one thing, and I think I've talked to many of you who have been through budget hearings or committee meetings with me before, but um maybe this isn't unique, but it matters to me because this has been my life, uh, my professional life anyway.

I've been doing this since I was in high school, part-time throughout college, and then full-time since.

Um, it's something I'm I'm gonna spend my entire career doing code enforcement, which is maybe a bit unique, and maybe doesn't matter to some of you, but uh to me it does.

Um so today I'm here to tell you a little bit about why I think code enforcement is the lifeline to a better city.

Um not only I firmly believe that for our city here in Syracuse, but but nationally after experiencing um meeting with multiple cities and other jurisdictions, like we we just do a lot of really good things here.

Um and it's much more than just traditional code enforcement, it's not just tall grass, litter, abandoned cars.

Like our teams are out on the streets every day.

Um, and I'll label them this.

Uh, this is me calling them this.

Like, I believe they're unsung heroes of our community.

Um, I truly believe that.

They are the lifeline uh to uh protecting community safety and and building resiliency citywide every day.

Something happens, our team is there.

We we're our we are the third traditional or untraditional first responder.

I'll put us right up there with police and fire.

Something happens, like our team is there dealing with it most of the time cleaning up what happened, but um, and we're much more than just code enforcement on paper, like pretty much most city departments are involved with our efforts.

Um we've been super intentional about being collaborative with multiple departments, which sounds pretty easy, but I I can tell you it's not an easy feat, and a lot of cities don't have what we have here with collaboration.

So we have partnered with departments such as fire prevention, corporation council, Syracuse Police, Public Works, Skilled Trade, Engineering, BAA, like all this is part of our ecosystem of how code enforcement functions and how we make an impact on our city and our residents.

Um I brought a book here because literally you could say we wrote the book on it.

Um this is a book that tells it's it's made to tell cities how to operate strategic code enforcement program, and we're not only on the cover, but featured on multiple pages throughout.

And this is used nationally, it just came out a few months ago on how to do code enforcement.

Um I don't bring that just to boast about our team, but I I bring it up to recognize that we have something pretty special here in the way I think we operate our code enforcement program that a lot of cities envy.

Um enough on that, but I do want to tell you just a little bit about our team.

So it includes code enforcement proper, but it also includes the central permit office.

It also includes the Lad Hazard Control Office and the Office of Zoning Administration.

We enforce things like state and local building codes, general city ordinances, we issue business licenses, we ticket illegal businesses, we deal with dumping, we deal with administering stormwater and floodplain regulations, we do zoning enforcement administration, and a lot more.

Um I mentioned the collaboration earlier because a lot of our disciplines overlap with other city departments.

And they should, because that's when we become most effective in how we deal with problem solving.

And what we've kind of become is like an expert leader in congregating these resources citywide to deal with these complex issues.

So problems like housing vulnerability, nuisance abatement, crime prevention through environmental design, large-scale demolitions of buildings that are falling over and that remain you know standing in and blight in our neighborhoods, um, illegal spiking cannabis and tobacco, health-related issues that impact our children and our community.

Umlawful and unruly businesses.

Um code enforcement is there along the way dealing with with all of that.

Um what I want to talk about next is why I feel like code enforcement is worth investing in and continue to investing in the way that we have been, and possibly even more investment.

But I think we are the answer to strategizing to ensure that we provide public safety and stability uh stabilize public uh or private property values, but also economic growth.

So I mentioned public safety, and I don't think anybody from the police department's here right now, but in the last few years, a couple year and a half, we've closed almost 50 unruly businesses and illegal occupancies.

A lot of them corner stores, um, but not all of them.

Um the impact that that has had on our community, you you can't even you can't even put a data valuation on it, but the chief of police has said out loud to me, you've no idea the amount of crime reduction that code enforcement has been uh responsible for with this work that you've been doing.

Um not sure how many code enforcement offices nationally can say that, but we can say that here because we have that relationship and we show value to each other.

Um, and likewise, they can call us and turn around for any needs that they have.

And again, uh I bring this up because a lot of cities don't have that.

And I know this because we engage with other cities, we go to conferences, we talk to other people nationally, like they don't have the collaboration that we have, and that's a big part of why we're being featured in national publications across the country on how to do this the right way.

Um we've set records on the number of permits being issued, not only on volume of number, but permit valuation.

We set another record um this year on permit valuation dollars.

That means the amount of construction, it's the most in my lifetime.

Um, I can confidently say that.

You look outside, there's cranes everywhere, there's activity happening.

Um, with that comes revenue.

Um code enforcement is a revenue generating department.

Um our numbers have looked really good the last couple years, and we're projecting to almost be uh almost offset what we spend.