In an effort to uphold the image the city of Madison has cultivated over many years, the city code enforcement director is on the hunt daily for infractions.
Since Miriam Ethridge took on this role in December 2018, she suspects she has sent out hundreds of letters to inform residents that they must comply with the International Property Management Code, which the city recently adopted.
The International Property Management Code is a guideline for property maintenance that many cities across the country have adopted.
Ethridge says each week she sends out an average of 25 letters.
The most common issue she mails these letters for is parking on the front yard or side of the property.
“I’m trying to get them off the grass and on the driveway,” Ethridge said. “I ride the city every day and when I see a vehicle sitting there and has been there for a while and if it’s a tag that’s out of date or a vehicle that has a flat tire or wrecked in anyway, that has to be removed immediately. You cannot store inoperable vehicles or vehicles without tags.”
Ethridge said the last six months have been interesting to say the least.
“For the most part, people who live in Madison, love what Madison is,” Ethridge said. “Of course, any time you have rules to go by, you’ll have people who object. That’s part of life.”
“You have to remember your rights only go as far as you impeding on your neighbors rights,” she added. “When you don’t keep up your property, it’s hurting your neighbors. It’s bringing down property values. That’s what we’re trying to do is keep property values high for everybody.”
Her job is to enforce those rules, but her goal stems beyond that. She hopes to instill a sense of pride in each neighborhood and the desire to be better neighbors to others.
“I want to instill neighborhood values, so that others will want to step in and help out when they see that their neighbor needs help,” she said.
While a stack of letters goes out each week, Ethridge said she always works with each individual to set a timeline for when the work needs to be completed to get them in compliance with the code.
“When I first send a letter, I send it first class, just to give people an opportunity. If they don’t comply, then I send it certified,” she said. “For the most part, people will comply.”
If residents need more time to complete the needed work, Ethridge said all they have to do is pick up the phone and call her.
“They can request more time to get things in order,” she said. “We’re not trying to put a hardship on anybody. Especially if people are having to get estimates and things.”
She also offers help to new homeowners, as she has had to write citations for unkempt lawns before.
“Just give me a call. I will give you pointers if you don’t know what you’re doing,” Ethridge said.
Every now and then, Ethridge said she runs into people
who will not cooperate and then have to go to court to handle the issue.
The need for Ethridge’s position is a result of city growth, which led to the need for an environmental court, which began in January.
The environmental court has replaced public hearings to manage complaints from the growing number of residents in the city.
The court meets twice a month, with Judge John Reeves presiding over the cases.
Those who end up in court could face fines up to $1,000.
