Legacy Minded City Clerk Takes on Rental Property Blight in Small Town

Muldraugh, KY is a small city of 1,200 completely surrounded by the Fort Knox army base. Many residents are civilian contractors living in rental housing. In fact, about 75% of the property in Muldraugh is rental property. City Clerk Caroline Cline reached out to Comcate for help dealing with rental property blight. The City decided to implement Comcate’s Code Enforcement Manager software. Caroline shares Muldraugh’s Code Enforcement journey below to help other small towns enforce standards with scarce resources.

75% of Muldraugh, KY’s real estate is rental property serving civilian contractors at Fort Knox.

What challenges does Muldraugh face when it comes to rental properties?

We have a lot of rental property and sometimes people don't take care of them. Especially if they don't own the property they’re renting. Another challenge for us is that people are collecting scrap metal to sell and are storing it on their front lawns. That's a big issue for us.

Folks go out on garbage day and collect things like broken grills. And instead of taking them straight to the recycler, they might take them home and let them sit in their yard for three or four weeks before breaking them down and taking them to the recycler. A lot of people think they have the right to clutter up their property. They don't take into consideration that it’s a dangerous eyesore that reflects badly on everyone else’s property too. 

Scrap collected by residents to turn into cash at the local metal recycler makes for dangerous eyesores in Muldraugh.

How does Code Enforcement work in Muldraugh?

Our Code Enforcement force is made up of a volunteer and our police officers who all engage on a reactive basis. If we have something we want them to check out, then we'll send them out. 

We also have a public works supervisor who's really good to work with. When he goes out to perform his duties, and he sees something that needs attention, he’ll email me a picture of the issue along with the particulars and I’ll enter it into the system. Code Enforcement is a group effort here because we’re so short-staffed.

How did Muldraugh handle Code Enforcement before Comcate?

When I first came here in 1994, they had nuisance ordinances already on the books. But at that time you had to go through the county court system to get anything enforced. Fortunately, in recent years the state government passed HB 422 that allows cities to form their own code enforcement boards. So Muldraugh formed its own Code Enforcement board about three years ago. 

Up until now, we've been handwriting citations. And I've been trying to keep up with violations, inspections, and citations through an Excel worksheet which just gets out of control. I just felt overwhelmed and I thought there's got to be an easier way. Then I started searching for software.

How is your Code Enforcement Board structured?

The board has three members. They have four regularly scheduled meetings a year. The only other time they would meet would be if someone challenged a violation or a citation. In that case, the board would study the case and decide whether that person was guilty or not. We haven't had a lot of people pose challenges. 

What did violators think of Code Enforcement before Comcate?

People were just ignoring the citations when we were handwriting them. But I think that’s going to change with our new software because the notices of violation look so much more professional now. They get your attention.

People can be stubborn and you just can't give up. You’ve got to show them that they're not going to worry you down. And from here on out, that's what I intend to do as long as I'm working here. My legacy will be leaving Muldraugh in better shape for those coming after me.

Code Enforcement Manager’s auto-generated Notice of Violations save time and look professional.

Why is Muldraugh stepping up its Code Enforcement efforts now?

It was the changes made in the state law with HB 422 that allowed Code Enforcement to be a municipal activity. Before we were forced to go to the county court system and the courts are overwhelmed. They don't want to hear about somebody that's got trash in their backyard. Now the city has the freedom to address the problem.

Do you plan on using Code Enforcement Manager for cost recovery?

Yes, we've had some pretty costly Code Enforcement cleanups in the past and I'm sure we will again in the near future. For instance, we've got one property that’s over $5,000 in cleanup costs already between dumpster fees, municipal labor costs, and mowing expenses. Five grand is a lot for this little town.

The City of Muldraugh will use Code Enforcement Manager to aid its efforts to recover forced abatement costs like dumpster rentals.

How will you measure success?

I’d measure success by going around Muldraugh and not seeing junk everywhere. We want to keep the City looking nice and to continue making improvements. I want the citizens to see that we're trying to make improvements. For that, Comcate is a good investment.

How was the implementation process?

That worked really well. Paige, our implementation manager, has a lot of patience. She was really prompt in responding to my emails. I didn't have to sit there and wait two or three days for an answer. Answers came almost immediately. And I thought the training went well. In fact, the more I work with the software the easier it seems to be.

What advice do you have for small communities considering Code Enforcement software?

I’d tell them that they should definitely look at Comcate software. I tried doing it manually and keeping up with it on a spreadsheet. It was hard to do and just got out of control. Before they make the same mistake I did, they should invest the time and budget in software instead of trying to do it manually. They'll save themselves a lot of time in the long run.