By Mike Kruzman / news@whmi.com


Howell Township officials have hired code enforcement officers to help with their backlog of concerns.

At the recent meeting of the Howell Township Board of Trustees, held over the internet, the Board authorized the hiring of 3 individuals from Judicial Services Group (JSG) to provide code enforcement. Those are Jeff Kirkpatrick, Michael Greenslade, and Edgar Acina. Supervisor Mike Coddington said the time was right, and JSG can provide the needed assistance.

He said their common letter and pleading for the cleaning up of blight and other violations is not working, and that they need to step it up more. To issue a ticket you need someone who can access and get their information, and that usually requires hiring the Sheriff’s Office or an agency.

Coddington said the problem with hiring the Sheriff’s Office is that you have to a pay deputy a minimum of 1 hour overtime per call to serve in this capacity. He said JSG is willing to do it for $250 per month, for up to 10 hours of service. If they are needed to appear in court, they will charge the township an additional $50. Coddington said he feels like they have plenty of work to keep them busy, with no issue. The board discussed the strategy of giving them 1 to 2 cases to work on to verify their methods, and then have them work on their backlog of concerns within their allotted hours each month. Treasurer Jonathan Hohenstein said their fee feels relatively inexpensive for 10 hours of work, and that with the issues they need addressed, this is a good place to start. His motion to accept JSG’s proposal was approved unanimously.