THE MENDOCINO COUNTY Board of Supervisors voted to make changes to the county’s code violation complaint system, which collects complaints from residents who see code violations in their neighborhoods.
County staff have been directed to revise the complaint system and put their findings in a report to the county chief executive officer in about six months.
Complaints that have been reported include everything from cannabis farm violations, fuel or water leaks onto other properties, or construction violations that infringe on another person’s residence.
The board voted 4-0 on Tuesday, with Supervisor Madeline Cline absent from the meeting, to modify the complaint form so it increases options for those who want to submit specific details about safety concerns and a section to provide information about the suspected wrongdoing.
Currently, residents can submit complaints about other residences anonymously through the county website. County officials have said the anonymous feature is important for residents reporting illegal cannabis grows who fear possible retaliation. But a supervisor also said the system has been abused by people filing retaliatory complaints or using it to argue personal disputes.
Ultimately, the supervisors decided not to eliminate the anonymity function of the complaint form.
Dee Pallesen, a former county staff services administrator, suggested revisions that would enhance the complaint form for the community.
“I feel like the way the agenda item was written was sort of the end instead of the beginning of the discussion,” Pallesen said during public comment at the meeting. “The form doesn’t really ask you anything, it doesn’t ask you to give your name or contact information unless you want to be notified about the results of the complaint.”
She said, “I think we need to back up. The very first thing on the complaint form should be the complainant’s name and contact information, and then there can be a statement that says if you choose to not give your name, then we can’t contact you and we cannot guarantee that your complaint will be addressed timely.”
Pallesen said that she understands safety is a concern for both the complainant and the code enforcement staff who will be handling the issue at the alleged violator’s property. She said the person filing the complaint can indicate their level of concern on the form.
“You can look into a complaint without ever going to the property,” Pallesen said.
Pallesen noted that Gretchen McLaughlin, the code enforcement manager for the county, has said that they call the accused landowner to inform them about the complaint before stepping foot on their property.
“I am hearing these contradictions that there are issues about safety, but we do contact the landowner. Let’s put these concerns on the complaint form: do you see a safety issue? Like are there dogs, are there guns, whatever the concerns are. Let’s start there and have staff implement those guidelines, and if that doesn’t work, let’s talk about limiting the complaints.”
During Tuesday’s meeting, Supervisor John Haschak, who proposed the modification to the complaint system and introduced the agenda item, said the site has seen a vast increase in anonymous submissions this summer. He explained that several of the complaints were not about code violations but came from residents using the site to talk about issues that were not related to code enforcement.
“A lot of these were anonymous, centered in the Laytonville area, and it was people, neighbors, and businesses swept up in this anonymous complaint spree,” Haschak said during the meeting. “When talking with code enforcement staff, I learned that we are one of the few counties in this area that allows anonymous complaints.”
Haschak said that even having this discussion is a useful way to improve the complaint system and make it easier for both complainants and staff to address code violations at nearby residences. He said Pallesen’s suggestions would be a good starting point for county staff to begin changing the system.
“I like the idea of updating the website and the form process. I think that overall, I appreciate this discussion because it will give the tools that code enforcement needs,” he said.
This story originally appeared in The Mendocino Voice.