Commissioners complain about the negligence of law enforcement in Cadillac | Information

CADILLAC — Members of the Cadillac Planning Commission on Monday expressed frustration about the city’s repeated violations and lax enforcement of those laws.

Discussion on the topic began when commissioner Greg Bosscher asked about a business that had previously been granted a permit to allow the property to be used in a way not normally allowed in a downtown business district. Bosscher said he recently learned that the business is now engaged in another use of the property that is not permitted through zoning or permits.

Cadillac Community Development Director John Wallace confirmed that the business owner needs to have his special use permit amended to include the new use. Wallace added that this business owner has also failed to submit documents requested by the city as conditions of the special use permit.

Community Development Coordinator Danielle Timmer said the city has notified the business owner of the violation and is trying to bring them into compliance.

This sparked further discussion about incidents of people deliberately violating city ordinances.

Another business that opened last year, for example, was told specifically that an aspect of their development was being violated while they were in the construction phase. This warning was ignored.

Currently, the job of enforcing the zoning law rests with the community development department, which is staffed by Wallace and two other people — a specialist and a coordinator. The city does not have a dedicated law enforcement officer and Wallace said part of the challenge of enforcing the law with force is not having the resources or time to do so.

A similar explanation has been offered by staff regarding previous failures to enforce the city’s short-term rental and blight laws.

“I’m tired of that reason,” commented commissioner Joseph Baumann, who added that people willingly ignoring the ordinance defeats the purpose of the planning commission.

The proposed budget for the next fiscal year includes an increase in resources for code enforcement. Staff have budgeted $25,000 for these activities but Cadillac City Manager Marcus Peccia previously said the council may want to adjust this number as the city gets a better idea of ​​how much work is involved.

Mayor Carla Filkins asked Wallace if she would bring up the issue with Peccia to determine if additional resources would be necessary to effectively enforce laws related to zoning, blight and other issues. Filkins added that he would discuss the matter with Peccia, too.