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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowMayor Greg Ballard announced yesterday the creation of a city office that will combine civil licensing and permitting functions into one entity.
The Office of Code Enforcement is part of an effort to make Indianapolis safer and more livable by better enforcing environmental and other quality-of-life-related laws, the mayor said.
“From the outset, I’ve been a champion of the theory that broken windows left in disrepair lead to crime,” Ballard said in a statement. “Now, as our public-safety personnel proactively work to prevent and fight crime, we will have an entire team alongside them whose sole purpose … is to keep our city beautiful and prevent areas from slipping into crime.”
The office also streamlines inspection and abatement functions. Historically, the departments of Metropolitan Development, Parks and Recreation, Public Safety and Public Works, and the Office of Finance and Management each had related but separate code-enforcement authority.
Rick Powers, who since 2001 has served as the city’s administrator of DMD’s division of compliance, will lead the new office.
Ballard plans to submit a proposal within the next few weeks to make it a permanent city department that will be governed by a board consisting of members of the public.
The department would be funded by fees from violations.
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