Board Matter

March 24, 2015

Budget Consideration Item Requests: County Grass Ordinance and Veterans Treatment Docket Probation Officer Positions

Madame Chairman:

In the FY 2016 Advertised Budget, the County Executive proposed to discontinue the enforcement of the County Grass Ordinance.  While the program was created with the intent to keep property values stable by maintaining neighborhood integrity, the ordinance also plays an important role in preventing any larger health and safety issues by allowing the Department of Code Compliance to address any potential property maintenance issues early on.  If the ordinance is discontinued, the Department of Code Compliance will no longer be able to perform inspections and will be unable to mow the lawns of those violating the ordinance.  Instead, the county will only be permitted to mail letters to the offending parties requesting that their grass be maintained.  Attached please find a resolution prepared by the North Springfield Civic Association opposing the proposed cut to the 2016 county funding.

The Veterans Treatment Docket is off to a strong start with eight cases in the pipeline.  However, in order to address current staffing shortages and to mitigate the risk to the community, the General District Court is requesting that two Probation Counselor positions be added in FY 2016.  No new positions have been added since FY 2006, and the average daily caseload per Probation Counselor has increased 22 percent since FY 2009.  These officers would be responsible for intensely supervising Veterans Treatment Docket cases, but would also be used to supervise the general population as well.

For these reasons, Madame Chairman, I would ask that both the County Grass Ordinance and the Veterans Treatment Docket Probation Officer positions be added as budget consideration items.