Greeley budget plan would cut vacant code compliance inspector position

Greeley’s proposed 2027 budget would reduce Code Compliance staffing from six inspectors to five by eliminating a vacant inspector position, a change city staff said meets the department’s 17% reduction target of about $162,000 while keeping core complaint response in place. Staff said the plan relies on a combination of personnel cuts, revenue adjustments and operational restructuring, with district inspectors taking on more commercial and complex cases.

Staff said the change would preserve citywide district coverage but reduce backup during absences and likely slow the resolution of larger or more complicated cases. The biggest strain is expected during spring and early summer, when landscape code violations typically increase. With less capacity, the department would focus on complaint-driven enforcement and required work, while scaling back proactive efforts such as educational campaigns and specialized enforcement.

Mayor Dale Hall asked how long the position had been vacant and was told it had likely been open since about January. Hall later said that if the city consistently imposed minimum fines, it might generate an additional $18,000 to $28,000 based on 2025 data. He also said the city could change its stipulation process so fees are assessed per violation rather than per case, and increase a stipulation amount from $25 to $50, which he said could reduce staff time spent preparing for hearings.

Council Member Deb DeBoutez asked whether the administrative hearing officer could reduce fines to zero and how fine collections were going. Staff responded that minimum fines are set in city code and are not zero, though hearing decisions can be appealed.

Hall said council members have long been frustrated that some code compliance issues are not addressed quickly enough and urged staff to return with options to reduce the bottleneck in the hearing process and strengthen enforcement. He said code compliance affects not only violations themselves but also neighborhood conditions, property values and how visitors view Greeley.