Hollister
– The county Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to institute new
rules for code enforcement.
Hollister – The county Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to institute new rules for code enforcement.
Under the revised ordinance, county staffers will now bring code violation disputes not to the county administrative officer, but rather to an independent hearing officer who will weigh the evidence and make a ruling.
Before the meeting, County Planning Director Art Henriques said the new procedure will help ensure that alleged code violators – for example, those who have abandoned vehicles on their property or run an unpermitted business out of their home – feel the decisions are impartial and fair.
Bill Avera, Hollister’s development services director, told the Free Lance that the city made a similar switch at the beginning of this year and has had two successful hearings so far. The hearing officers are, for the most part, local attorneys, and the officer examines four or five alleged violations per hearing, Avera said.
Supervisor Reb Monaco said the board needs to take a second look at the changes in six months to ensure that everything’s going smoothly.
