CHICOPEE – Ward 7 City Councilor William Courchesne continues to stand as a proactive advocate for including a new code enforcement position amongst the law department’s staff.

The position, which Courchesne said he’s championed over his past six years as a councilor, was originally active under former mayor Michael Bissonnette’s administration. Courchesne explained that a lack of code enforcement allows absentee landlords and landowners to get away with numerous code infractions, such as overgrown lawns, unkempt buildings or snow-covered sidewalks.

“Whether it’s a vacant building with an out of state landlord or a tenant property where the grass grows 3 feet, these people play the game well…it’s cheaper to pay a ticket here and there than pay for someone to take care of the issues,” said Courchesne.

Last month, the City Council unanimously approved an order for the mayor to consider adding the position. The issue was previously introduced during a joint Finance and Ordinance subcommittee meeting on March 8.

Courchesne advocates for the position to be reincorporated under the law department, which will allow the code enforcer to be accessible to all residents. “The reason why I want them under the law department like they used to be is so that everyone has access to them,” said Courchesne.

Currently, the councilor shared that Health Director Lisa Sanders and her team address code enforcements throughout the city.

Courchesne thanked Sanders for her “dedication in picking up the slack,” but believes a code enforcer would allow the health director to focus more on her critical role.

“I don’t really want a director of a department going out giving tickets, because I am sure they got a lot more important things to worry about…there’s just no need for it,” said Courchesne.

The councilor stated that the only way to ensure compliance is for code enforcement to be enforced on a regular basis. “What you need to be able to do is give someone a ticket every week or every day, whatever the law allows, to help them get in compliance,” said Courchesne.

Across his tenure, Courchesne dealt with three illegal auto repair shops within his ward. Despite two of the shops being considered “a nuisance to their neighborhood,” Courchesne said neither received attention from code enforcement due to the position’s restrictions.

Courchesne aspires for a collaboration with Mayor John Vieau to improve upon the city’s prior implementation of a code enforcer, including allowing for the position to operate on weekends and untraditional hours. The councilor also believes that the position will deliver an immediate positive impact upon the community.

“Code enforcement is going to have an impact on quality of life that people won’t understand until it happens. It’s going to be impactful and help pay for itself through the fines. To me, any money spent on quality life and public safety is worth every penny we spent,” said Courchesne.

Mayor’s Perspective

When asked about incorporating a code enforcer, the mayor stressed that city actively deals with issues through the Health Department, the Building Department and the Police Department via traffic code violations. He shared that there are no imminent plans to add a code enforcer to the law department.

Still, Vieau said he would welcome an open dialogue between himself, Courchesne and the City Council. “I am willing to work with the City Council...I would love to have a conversation about it,” said Vieau.

The mayor said his current focus is on reviving the city’s Problem Properties Committee as the summer approaches.