AGENDA TITLE:
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Receive Presentation from the Community Development Department on the Community Improvement Division Yearly Update (CD)
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MEETING DATE:
December 17, 2025
PREPARED BY:
Derek Poe, Chief Building Official
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RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Receive Presentation from the Community Development Department on the Community Improvement Division Yearly Update
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BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The Community Improvement Division is comprised of Officers that investigate and enforce violations of the Lodi Municipal Code on private property. The violations include, but are not limited to, accumulation of debris, inoperable vehicles, substandard housing, dangerous buildings, roll-away and portable waste collection containers placement, building without a permit, and several other violations that occur on private property. If the officers observe a violation that is not in their purview, they will inform the appropriate party for handling (Public Works, Partners, Electric Utility, Police, or the Building Division of Community Development).
Community Improvement Officers often answer questions and provide educational resources for citizens at the Community Development public window. The Community Improvement Division is responsible for processing applications for the City’s permitted mobile food vendors. In addition to the above-mentioned, the Community Improvement Division participates in cooperative efforts with other City departments in order to address hard to solve issues throughout the City.
As of November 2025, the Community Improvement Division has received 560 complaints regarding Lodi Municipal Code Violations. The Community Improvement Division is slated to receive a total of 610 complaints for the 2025-year. Despite operating with reduced staffing levels in the 2025-year, Officers were able to maintain a 97% voluntary compliance rate, which is an 8% increase over the previous year. Voluntary compliance is defined as gaining compliance from the property owner by only issuing notices, and not issuing Administrative Citations. See Exhibit 1 for the 2025 End-of-Year Report for a comparison of the 2024 year.
The Community Improvement Division prioritizes educating residents and business owners about minor Lodi Municipal Code violations. In the 2025-year, Community Improvement created and implemented education flyers for refuse container violations and minor encroachment violations. The educational flyers resulted in a reduction of 203 cases in the 2024-year to 84 in the 2025-year. This reduction allowed Officers to focus on higher priority Lodi Municipal Code violations. See Exhibit 2 for the 2025 Case Type summary for a comparison of the 2024 year.
In addition to improving the Division’s educational efforts, the Community Improvement Division also fortified their enforcement processes. In the 2024-year, 5 Notice of Violations were recorded against property titles. In the 2025-year, 20 Notice of Violations were recorded against property titles, an increase of 300% over the previous year.
Community Improvement Officers are dedicated to improving the communities of the City of Lodi by eliminating blight and conditions that are determined to be a nuisance by the Lodi Municipal Code. Officers strive to gain compliance through education, while maintaining their composure and providing great customer service to the tenants, property owners, and property managers within the City of Lodi.
If you keep in mind compliance as the goal rather than punishment, your vision becomes clearer.
STRATEGIC VISION:
8B. Public Well-Being: Partner with other entities to provide outreach, education and activities to engage diverse cultures and communities.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Not applicable.
FUNDING AVAILABLE:
Not applicable.