Cleaning-up our neighborhood

Hello District 3,

     As sure as the sun rises and sets, the 3rd Council District continues to grow its population, causing changes that are to be welcomed and some that are not. We are grateful that there are so many people and businesses wanting to reside in Pierce County—that’s a great thing! However, it also means that with more people, we get more crowding and not everyone is considerate of their neighbor or respectful of one another’s property.

     A growing problem across the country is the number of properties that are filling up with trash, either by the resident(s), trespassers or deadbeats who dump garbage for someone else to clean-up. Government cannot prevent the actions of a lawbreaker, but it can set policies in place to address the problem. The purpose of this email is to inform you of Pierce County’s Chronic Nuisance Policy (2017-29) and how to navigate the system so the policy works for you!

     Over the years, the county has incrementally added rules to address nuisance properties since this issue has exploded over the last five years. In an effort to streamline the process, the Council moved the program to the Planning and Public Works Department. New features are on the website.

     The county’s financial resources are not without limit; however, we directed funding for additional staff to expand enforcement procedures of nuisance properties. There is a public portal where you can look up a nuisance property to see if it has been reported and what steps have been taken to correct it. This is not a tool for complaining about an irritating neighbor. The code and tool is designed to get chronic nuisance properties, particularly drug properties, in compliance or abated and allow the public to track progress.

     Please note that this code is not to be confused with situations needing 911 police protection. Please report all suspicious and unlawful behavior to the police. It is imperative that the Sheriff’s Department identify property crime hot spots. For non-emergency situations, call 253-798-4840. To report drug activity, click here for instructions.

     Below is helpful information released by the Planning and Public Works Department describing the goals of the property clean-up program and links to find or make reports;

     Our goal is to streamline the acceptance, processing and resolution of violations similar to our efforts. The new website provides information and services to include:

Interactive mapping for parcel searches
Electronic complaint submittal
Access to violation records to include statuses, assigned review staff and documents
Instant notification/updates on confirmed violations
Regional and community mapping identifying all violations in an area
And so much more

We have an ambitious goal of resolution of violations within 90 days. The new website will streamline administrative tasks and functions, allowing our inspectors to focus more time on resolution of violations.

I hope you found this email helpful. We must work together to get these nuisance drug houses and properties shut down.

Grateful for your support!