There are 2 reports on 3/23 Council agenda concerning By-law enforcement in King.  One reviews current polices and statistics on enforcement.  The second one presents some choices for increasing enforcement capability and costs for such.  I welcome comments and perspectives on whether capability should be changed.  I have been concerned about the level of current capability and am anxious to see the impact of very recent changes to increase visibility of our enforcement officers and to increase productivity.

Recent Changes    By-law investigations will now be conducted in marked cars  by uniformed officers. (Purchases for cars and uniforms approved in 2015 Budget).  And, mobile technology will be implemented which will enable research to be conducted and reports filed in the field; not only will this enhance effectiveness of investigation but less time will be spent in the office.  You can read more about these changes and the full report here.

I believe it is going to be necessary to increasing Staffing in By-law because of our population growth; the question is when.  The second report reviews some options.  I have some questions for Staff but at this point I believe it is appropriate to assess impact of the improvements (see “recent changes” above) before we increase Staffing.