2018/05/14 - Mayor's Column: Keeping Our City a Great Place to Live
“An Open Door to O’Fallon”
A Weekly Note from Mayor Herb Roach
It takes the hard work and community pride of every resident of O’Fallon to continue keeping our City a great place to live. It also takes this same spirit to be good neighbors. While O’Fallon has a reputation for being one of the best communities to live in the Metro East, and while most properties are well maintained, there are always exceptions.
The Code Enforcement section of the Community Development Department are the people who get called when an unsightly property is observed, such as ones with trash, high weeds and grass, or derelict cars in the open. These are usually referred to us by neighbors or they are noted by inspectors during their normal work throughout the City.
Unfortunately, some of the exceptions within the City can become problematic, residents should feel free to report unsightly properties, even those in foreclosure. There are procedures that we can take to get the property cleaned up.
One of the goals of the City is to head off these nuisances before they get too unsightly. If properties are observed with tall grass and weeds or with an accumulation of trash or rubbish, we will notify the owner/resident of the violation and give them a reasonable period of time to correct the matter. If violations are not corrected in the time allotted, citations may be issued for failure to comply with the Property Maintenance Code and nuisance laws of the City.
Keeping up one’s property in accordance with the City’s laws works best for everyone. Voluntary compliance means a better looking community that everyone can take pride in. Allowing weeds, high grass, and trash to accumulate on a property is a serious detraction from the neighborhood and the City. Being a good neighbor means taking pride in one’s own property, and maybe even helping one’s neighbors to do the same. If you see trash, high weeds and grass, or derelict cars, the best way to report it is through the City’s online citizen inquiry system, O’Fallon On Demand. O’Fallon On Demand can be accessed at www.ofallon.org/ofallon-on-demand.
O’Fallon On Demand also comes as a mobile app, you can download it by searching “O’Fallon On Demand” wherever you normally download mobile apps.
If you do not have the ability to visit the website or download the mobile app, you can always call O’Fallon Code Enforcement at 624-4500, extension 4, anytime Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
As residents of O’Fallon, you should always be able to reach out to your elected officials and ask questions about what is happening in O’Fallon. Having open communications is important to me and something I care very deeply about. Thank you for reading, and please remember, my door is always open!