Mayor Barlow plans annual two-week “Code Enforcement Sweep” throughout City

by Contributor | May 3, 2023 11:10 am

OSWEGO – Oswego Mayor Billy Barlow has announced the Oswego City Code Enforcement Office and the Oswego City Police Department will collaborate once again to conduct the annual “code enforcement sweep” on the West side of the City of Oswego from Utica Street to Lake Street in the first, third and fifth city wards.  The code enforcement “sweep” has become an annual event in the City of Oswego under the Barlow administration, conducted in the Spring as off-campus residents begin to move out of rental units and other residents conduct spring cleaning.  The Oswego Police Department and Code Enforcement Department will both be patrolling the area, including weekends and evening hours from May 8^th to May 22nd, to prevent trash and furniture from accumulating in front of rental properties and focusing their resources on the blighted and dilapidated rental homes specifically in the designated focus area.

“Our annual enforcement sweep informs both landlords and tenants of our rules and expectations when it comes to the appearance and behavior of a rental property in Oswego.  During our Code Enforcement Sweep, we have a zero-tolerance policy and I have authorized the Code Enforcement and Police Departments to immediately take necessary enforcement action as needed to gain compliance from property owners, including immediate ticketing with fines.  We will also focus our Code enforcement efforts on blighted properties in our targeted zone and keep the pressure on rental properties in that area”, said Mayor Billy Barlow adding that an organized “sweep” or “blitz” brings additional code enforcement resources into a smaller targeted area in an effort and allow code personnel to better focus on specific problematic properties to gain compliance and provoke mandated improvements to rental properties.

 The Department of Code Enforcement and Oswego Police Department will be conducting Quality of Life and Neighborhood engagement patrols, including evenings and weekends, identifying, and enforcing code violations.  Property owners and tenants are encouraged to make prior arrangements for garbage pickup, and removal from their property and may be issued appearance tickets for any trash and debris left visible, or any other violation, this week including;

-Vehicles should not be parked on grass or obstructing a sidewalk

-Interior furniture, appliances or trash may not be on an exterior porch or in the yard.

-There should be NO multi-day front yard, curbside stockpiling of garbage, debris or furniture.  It is unacceptable to wait until the next garbage pickup cycle.

 -Property owners/managers should take an active role in managing this process.  Past experience has proven that this responsibility cannot and should not be transferred to tenants.

-Should property owners fail to comply with the above expectations, Mayor Barlow has authorized the Office of Code Enforcement and the Oswego City Police Department to immediately take necessary enforcement action as needed to gain compliance.

“Our annual code enforcement sweep always produces good results and provides a proactive opportunity to educate landlords and remind them of our expectations, not only during our sweep weekend, but all year long,” said Director of Code Enforcement Jeff McGann.  “Under Mayor Barlow’s leadership, we’ve taken a tough stand against negligent landlords and we’ve made great progress in our neighborhoods and I thank the Oswego Police Department and the Common Council for their assistance and support.”

Phil Cady, Chief of the Oswego Police Department said, “The Oswego Police Department is happy to assistance the Department of Code Enforcement with quality-of-life patrols and code enforcement.  Our teams work together to improve our neighborhoods and hold absentee landlords accountable.  Beyond our annual two-week sweep, we’ll continue to partner with code enforcement as we tackle some of the most problematic properties and areas in the city.”

To anonymously report a code enforcement or property maintenance violation, call or text Oswego Code enforcement at 315-415-1542.

 

LETTER FROM THE MAYOR:

Dear Property Owner:

As another semester comes to a close, the City of Oswego is making an effort to ensure that any item(s) left behind by tenants is picked up quickly and we make the transition from the end of the semester into the summer seamless.  We hope to have the cooperation of landlords, property owners and property managers as we try to keep our neighborhoods clean and attractive as we go through this quick transition.  In that respect, we are politely reminding you of our EXPECTATIONS during this transition:

-As a property owner/manager, please develop and adhere to a plan of prompt garbage/debris management and removal particularly between May 8^th and May 22n^d.

-There should be NO multi-day front yard, curbside stockpiling of garbage, debris or furniture.  It is unacceptable to wait until the next garbage pick-up cycle.

-Property owners/managers should take an active role in managing this process.  Past experience has proven that this responsibility can not and should not be transferred to tenants.

-Should property owners fail to comply with the above expectations, I have authorized the Office of Code Enforcement and the Oswego City Police Department to immediately take necessary enforcement action as needed to gain compliance, including penalties and fines.

Beginning on May 8^th, we will launch our 7^th annual code enforcement blitz with increased code enforcement foot patrols specifically focusing on nuisance violations.  We are issuing this letter as a proactive measure to prevent unnecessary violations from occurring in the first place.  The City of Oswego and all of our residents thank you in advance for your cooperation and appreciate your honest effort in being good neighbors and responsible property owners.

Sincerely,

Mayor William J Barlow

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/news/oswego/mayor-barlow-plans-annual-two-week-code-enforcement-sweep-throughout-city/

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