Lyon County seeks to improve code enforcement process

The Lyon County Commission held a code enforcement workshop Monday to improve the process for managing violations, nuisances and public health threats.

Community Development Director Louis Cariola told commissioners Lyon County experiences similar challenges in code enforcement to other jurisdictions in the state such as the buildup of garbage, construction waste or excess vehicles on private property, people living in substandard or uninhabitable buildings or squatters. However, most residents do not see what the county government seeks to address in what they believe is a “timely manner,” Cariola said.

“The goal of code enforcement is compliance with our code,” Cariola said. “We’re not trying to be over regulatory. We’re not trying to violate people’s property rights.”

Code enforcement largely is complaint-driven with one officer to handle its caseload at the administrative level. Statistics show 80% of cases in the county are closed each year. Cariola added 30 cases are opened and closed each month and about 200 cases are forwarded from year to year, with homeowners’ properties having their distinct challenges and expectations for compliance. The policy is to achieve voluntary compliance with code violations, according to the county. Human Services case managers might participate to assist residents with mental health or basic physical needs.

“We recognize code enforcement could function better in Lyon County,” Cariola said.

He described one case in which there had been a tire buildup on a property for seven years starting in 2013 with the issue continuing to escalate and no clear resolution.

In viewing photographs of properties showing code violations such as garbage buildup or lack of property maintenance, Commissioner Rob Jacobson said he believed it’s possible there are mental health issues in some of the cases.

“We’ve got to be more firm,” Jacobson said.

Commissioners and staff also discussed changes to the reporting process, which Cariola said will ease the burden on residents who might have worried about being chastised or experiencing retribution, Cariola said.

“I think there’s an opportunity to have a cleaner process,” Cariola said. “We want to address these issues administratively. We don’t want to have to escalate these issues to the sheriff’s office or the (district attorney’s) office.”

Information from the workshop will be used to draft an ordinance to present to regional Citizen Advisory Boards and Planning Commission before returning to the Board of County Commissioners for possible adoption.

Code enforcement complaints can be filed online at https://comdev.lyon-county.org/CitizenPortal/DefaultLyon.aspx.

For additional assistance, contact the Code Enforcement Office at 775-344-8326 or go to www.lyon-county.org.