Fixing the bylaw backlog will cost more than $3.7M in Brampton: report

Hiring dozens of new enforcement officers will help with a lengthy backlog of bylaw complaints in Brampton, but will come at a cost to the city according to Mayor Patrick Brown.

“These positions should support themselves,” Brown told reporters on Monday at the announcement of a $3.7 million plan to overhaul Brampton By-Law Services.

The revamp is a 28-point plan that will go to City Council this week and could see Brampton commit more than $1.7 million for more than 30 new staffers, $744,000 for new vehicles, and another $70,000 for technology upgrades and equipment.

The changes could lead to more than $2,033,888 in revenue for the city but come at an initial cost of 3,768,991 according to a report, leaving the city on the hook for another $1,735,103 in costs – a price tag Brown says the city is ready to pay.

“We are prepared for the cost that could exist in year one, but these are positions that are not going to be a significant permanent cost to the city,” he said, calling the start-up costs “temporary in nature.”

A recent report on the state of bylaw services found the city’s rapid growth is causing “a significantly increased demand for enforcement.”

Brampton’s 311 complaint line receives more complaints than it can manage with 93 enforcement officers responsible for over 100,000 calls last year, ranging from property standards and safety issues, lawn maintenance, parking infractions, licensing and more.

But staffing levels have dropped 4.5 per cent while calls have gone up 22 per cent, leading the report to call on Brampton to adopt “a more proactive approach” to enforcement.

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If the budget amendments are approved, the new hires will include 26 full-time positions made up of 17 Enforcement Officers, five Property Standards Officers, one Training Supervisor, an Escalation & Communications Supervisor, an Analyst and one Zoning Plans Examiner. The city would also look to hire 14 part-time permanent Enforcement Officers, all within 2024.

“No one wants to see an overcrowded basement apartment that is a fire risk or a building code risk,” the mayor said of the efforts to “clean up a department” that’s not meeting residents’ expectations.

Brown says the new hires will give bylaw “the muscle and the capacity” to respond concerns and issues that have gone unresolved.

The mayor added that the bylaw changes would also support Brampton’s Residential Rental Licensing program, aimed at reducing the number of illegal suites in the city and give bylaw more enforcement options when dealing with landlord and tenant property standards issues.

Robert Higgs was hired as the new director of enforcement and bylaw services in February. He says the proposed overhaul is a “stabilization staffing model” that is designed to meet the demands of residents and could lead to even more changes if successful.

The proposed changes and recommendations will go to Brampton City Council on Wednesday.