At its Special Meeting on August 26, the Bayonne City Council passed an ordinance creating a Division of Code Enforcement within the Department of Municipal Services. Mayor Sharon Nadrowski has signed the new ordinance into law.
Mayor Nadrowski said, “I’m incredibly proud to have signed O-26-76 into law, establishing the Division of Code Enforcement. Thank you to the City Council for taking swift action, and for holding a special meeting to expedite consideration of this important measure.” Mayor Nadrowski continued, “Once up and running, this new Division of City government will conduct both reactive and proactive enforcement and will, finally, restore a sense of accountability around property maintenance issues that have plagued our neighborhoods for far too long.”
City Council President Melissa Godesky-Rodriguez said, “The adoption of Bayonne’s Code Enforcement program is an important step forward for our city and our residents.” Council President Godesky-Rodriguez continued, “Bayonne deserves clean, safe, well-maintained neighborhoods, and our residents deserve to know that when concerns arise, there is a process in place to address them.” The Council President added, “Thank you to Mayor Nadrowski, my fellow Council members, and our administration for working together to get this program moving. This is about accountability, quality of life, and taking pride in the community we all call home. There is still work ahead, but this is meaningful progress for Bayonne. Our city needs this. Our residents deserve it. And I am proud that we are moving it forward.”
The ordinance states, “The Municipal Council and City Administration have found that a lack of an effective, organized enforcement mechanism has caused interdepartmental confusion and continued erosion of public trust in the City’s ability to effectively address community concerns.” The language of the ordinance argues that “the effective enforcement of property maintenance standards helps address unsafe structures, overgrown vegetation, pest infestations, debris accumulation, and other conditions that may endanger residents, erode neighborhood character, and reduce property values.” The ordinance makes the case that “a visible enforcement program motivates property owners to maintain their properties proactively, reducing the need for formal enforcement actions as time goes on.” The ordinance adds, “Consistent, impartial enforcement demonstrates that the municipality is responsive to resident concerns and committed to maintaining community standards.”
The ordinance will create the position of Supervising Code Enforcement Officer to manage the new Division of Code Enforcement. As passed by the City Council, the ordinance requires monthly reports of operations that would include “at a minimum, the number of reactive inspections made, the number of warnings issued, the number of summonses issued, and an accounting of the nature of violations being cited.” The Director of Municipal Services will have the responsibility of prescribing a format for these required monthly reports.