City Hires Private Process Servers to Serve Property Owners

Issuing citations for city code violations is just the first — maybe the easiest — step in trying to persuade residents to clean up and maintain their property.

But serving notice of the citation and the alleged violations officers hope residents will cure before ending up in municipal court has proven to be much more difficult.

During the past eight to 12 months, city officials have been unable to secure the service of 522 citations issued for violations ranging from overgrown yards to maintenance neglect.

City officials say that lack of service can be costly to taxpayers not only aesthetically, but financially as well. In an attempt to “close the loophole” that allows residents to elude responsibilities, officials want to test a pilot program that will allow the city to use a private process server to put property owners on notice of any violations.

City Planner Gary Garvin said code enforcement officers are charged with that responsibility right now. Because code enforcement officers work regular business hours, it is difficult to serve notice to residents who work outside the home.

A process server, Garvin said, not only has the means to secure service during the evenings and weekends, they have the authority to serve notice to property owners who live outside the city limits but within the state. Garvin said 124 of the 522 citations, nearly 24 percent, expected to be included in the proposed pilot program are designated for out-of-town service.