Highland Heights heard Tuesday about the potential increase in civil fines that could go into effect next month.
This potential raise in fines comes after the city “looked to current times, inflation and action of other cities,” according to City Adminstrator Michael Giffen.
However, the issuing of fines isn’t just something that happens automatically if a citizen receives a code enforcement infraction.
“There’s usually plenty of opportunity for someone to fix the property and for the city to work with that person to fix the property. The citation is the last step in the process,” Giffen said.
That’s because the code enforcement officers, along with other city resources like the Highland Heights police social worker, work with citizens to help them understand the reasoning behind their infraction and how they can resolve it.
“We don’t want to overcharge, we just want to try and work with them to get their [infraction] cleaned up,” said code enforcement officer Dave Fornash.
If the increase in fines were to be greenlighted, Giffen said the goal of the potential increase is not to obtain more money from citizens.
“This isn’t about us making more money; it’s just about cleaning up the city,” he said.
The council will hear the second reading next month to decide whether or not this will be in effect for the city.