Tulsa code enforcement inspectors are working hard to catch up on a nearly 1,800 case backlog, but they're going to run out of money at their current pace.
Working in Neighborhoods Director Dwain Midget said his budget is down 20 percent from two years ago, and the backlog swelled during hiring freezes.
"We had some real anomalies, if you will, in particular the budget constraints and reduction that not only did the WIN department experience, but other departments across the city experienced," Midget said. "These are the impacts of not having revenue in order to provide the services that we're charged to provide."
Midget said they could preserve funding by handling only cases where there's a danger to health or safety, but that's not his preference.
"If you're the neighbor living next to grass that's now 4 feet high, that's a major issue to you," Midget said. "Our goal is to address nuisances all over the city."
Several city councilors have said resolving code enforcement complaints takes too long. As things stand, it would take another $150,000 to get the WIN department through the fiscal year.
