Hollister
– The San Benito County Board of Supervisors will consider
changing the rules for property owners who violate county code at
its meeting today.
Hollister – The San Benito County Board of Supervisors will consider changing the rules for property owners who violate county code at its meeting today.
Planning Director Art Henriques said that the county tries to work with locals if they’re not in compliance with the building code, zoning ordinance or other county codes – for example, if they have abandoned vehicles on their property or are operating a business out of their home without a permit.
However, Henriques said, county staffers will only wait so long for the violation to get fixed before they call in the property owner for an administrative hearing.
Under the current ordinance, the county administrative officer weighs the evidence and makes a judgment. Henriques said that if the revised ordinance is approved, the county will likely create a list of independent officials it can call on to preside over the hearings.
Henriques said the change should both make for a better use of staff time and help property owners become comfortable with the process.
“By going to an independent third party it might register more with some people that … this is not someone from the county who obviously has a motivation to pursue this,” Henriques said.
The meeting will begin at 9:30am today in the County Administration Building at 481 Fourth St.
