La Cygne to hire position that combines codes officer, planner, building inspector

By Roger Sims, rsims@linncountyjournal.com

LA CYGNE – In a move that could lead to a city codes department complete with building codes inspection capability, the La Cygne City Council on Wednesday, Aug. 6, approved creating the Community Development Officer position on a 3-to-1 vote.

Police Chief Zachary Mathies proposed creating the position that will be part codes officer, part planning and zoning official and part building inspector. The community development officer (CDO) would operate under the auspices of the police department and would have a salary of $20 to $23 per hour depending on experience.

The position would take the place of the codes officer position last held by Devin Canada, who according to Mathies was no longer with the city.

Over the past couple of months, Mathies has expressed concern that some structures being built, especially by property owners, were not safe. He recently told a property owner to tear down a shed structure that not only used framing lumber of insufficient size and capacity but also included a second story, which was not included on the building permit.

The police chief said that the building inspections at first would be limited in scope. They would include foundations, framing, roofing and finish. As the CDO gained more experience, the list of inspections performed could increase he said.

Linn Valley remains the only city in Linn County that has a building inspector on staff. It in fact has two, an experienced part-time inspector and a full-time inspector who is learning the ropes. Linn Valley has adopted a standard building code while other cities in the county rely on the experience and professionalism of the builder or remodeling contractor to make sure their work meets code. The county also has not adopted a building code.

Mathies intention is that the CDO would eventually be qualified to perform inspections on other systems in construction or remodeling like electrical, plumbing and heating-cooling systems. That would allow the city to adopt a building code.

Until recently, La Cynge has not been a hub of new construction except for houses built by Prairie View High School students under the guidance of an experienced teacher. However, new construction has begun in not only La Cygne, but Parker and Mound City as well.

One of the selling points Mathies used to convince the council that the position was needed was that by having a CDO, it would relieve City Clerk Jodi Wade and City Treasurer Connie Gore from having to stop their tasks to answer zoning and building questions and issue permits.

Although the preferred requirements for the job include an associate or bachelor’s degree in planning, public administration, criminal justice or a related field, a high school diploma or equivalent would be considered.

“The most important thing is that they are willing to learn,” he said.

In a related matter, Mathies suggested that the council look at the a long-standing dust issue created by U.S. Minerals at their plant in the city’s industrial park. Mathies pointed out that the Harsco Corporation plant in the industrial park, which has a similar operation, has successfully used a scrubber on its material handling line that essentially eliminates dust, while U.S. Minerals operation continues to emit dust.

He held up a folder more than an inch thick full of complaints about a problem that has been going on for years. He even said he believe that somewhere in the process a chute was left open that spewed dust into the air.

The council agreed to ask that a representative from U.S. Minerals visit with the council about the issue.

The company has a conditional use permit for their operation, however, it does not have an expiration date on the permit. Mayor Debra Wilson said that the city should no longer issue open-ended conditional use permits, and instead build in an expiration date so that owners would be forced to have their operations reviewed every so often.

Also in his regular report, Mathies said that officers Kurtis West and John Mariño would be attending training to recertify on the city’s alcohol breath tester, and that West would be attending training that would be seen as entry-level supervisory training.

He also said the city had hired a part-time certified policeman: Timothy Hsiao. Hsiao is a full-time criminal justice instructor and holds a doctorate in that field.