MASON CITY – City council member and delivery man Travis Hickey says that Mason City code enforcement officers are going about their jobs all wrong.
The city has two code enforcement officers listed on its website, Jim Sberal and Kyle Peterson.
At a work session held earlier this week, city documents show that Hickey “mentioned his concern over the two code enforcement officers being reactive”.
Hickey said the officers do not enforce any codes on their own, but instead typically “wait until someone complained”.
He said the code enforcement officers are “just spot enforcing”.
Hickey himself dealt with code enforcement on his own property in 2010. He had purchased the lot (and accompanying house and garage) next door to his home at 920 North Fillmore Avenue and created one taxable parcel. City code allowed for only one house and one garage on a parcel, however, and he was told to remove one house and one garage. He only removed the next door house and kept the second garage.
When Hickey later applied for a permit to add-on to his house, city staff investigated his property and found the second garage to be illegal, and he was warned that the second garage must be removed.
Ignoring that order, Hickey months later went before the Zoning Board of Adjustment in October of 2010 to get a conditional use permit so he could keep his second garage.
Despite the board admitting they were “opening a can of worms“, Hickey was granted the conditional use permit, allowing him to keep the second garage, but only under the condition that he connect the two garages with a 8′ x 10′ walkway.
Hickey never followed through with the board’s order to connect his two garages.
After three new city council members were elected in 2011, the zoning laws were changed so that Hickey’s two garages on his property are legal.
I think Jim and Kyle are doing their jobs. If the City council wants them to go out and stop at every property they see that has a violation then they need to direct them to do this. Every time they try to enforce the code the city council gets involved and micro-manages them. The codes were approved by the council they should just get the heck out of the way even when a citizens calls complaining so long as the code was properly followed as they approved.
@ru-I agree with that.
I don’t see a problem with Hickey’s property, all buildings are well maintained, If he wanted to go strictly by the code, he could put a doll house up on the next lot he owns and give it an address and the garage would be fine.
What I am concerned about is the cars that park on their lawn, the abandoned cars sitting in yards for years that the police and inspectors drive by each day. When I report them to Click fix, they seem to be taken care of. Why does it take me to report them?
Has anyone driven on 3rd street NW lately, between Monroe and Delaware? There are a couple of houses with piles of junk everywhere on their porches and front lawns. I can’t believe no one has complained about this, although it’s not the best area of town, and maybe the neighbors just don’t care. It looks like Sanford & Son have moved to Mason City!
@Just-It is happening all over town. It is because there are so many rent houses now and the renters just do not care. No pride in anything.
Do you drive around and look for these violations? If you have that much time on your hands why don’t you use it to really make a difference, volunteer for meals on wheels or volunteer to fix up some run down places. If the place is right across the street from you, that’s another story. then I’d suggest walking across the street and asking if you could help them out, either get the cars running or send to the junkyard, they give you pretty good money for them right now.
This actually reminds me of what Max said back in the campaign. He was going to bring a little Sherrif Taylor to Mason City. That’s how Jim and Kyle are handling things. Barney used to get everybody worked up and cause big problems because he always followed every letter of the law. Andy was more sensible and worked with people. I wish more people in charge had that sense.
I think Jim and Kyle are doing the correct thing by not enforcing all of the codes unless somebody complains. Some of the codes don’t make any sense. If somebody keeps their place looking respectable and it isn’t a danger to anybody, if nobody is complaining, why make life a pain for somebody. A lot of those laws are overbearing and senseless anyway. like the walkway between Hickey’s two garages, why would that make anything better? People need to use common sense like Jim and Kyle.
If you were a bald headed fat fuk you’d want to strike back at the world as well.
It sounds like he just wants others to go through the same hassle he had to go through. Typical Mason City resident.
“may life sucks so yours has to suck just as bad”
Pack up and get out, you won’t be sorry.
This guy is a major POS!!! Negative, punitive, sounds like he did not make it past the 3rd grade, low-class and joined at the hip to that assface Bookmeyer. They deserve each other…
Don’t live in MC, but have been at several meetings where Draper has come toe to toe with colleagues about dollars spent. She is kind, nice, honest, but when the hat is put on a round the table to talk dollars and what business (s) say they need to help the less fortunate, she asks the hard questions. She is tough. You walk out of the meetings knowing she is fair, cares for others but does not let that cloud judgments for what is fiscally responsible.
@Scooby-Jodi was a rarity in politics in Mason City. She was fair, honest and truthful. All traits the establishment is afraid of. That is why they went after her so hard.
Some of you people of MC needs to all get together and do something about all this corruption! What the hell is wrong with all of you don’t you have a backbone? Stand up for yourselves most of these leaders work for YOU!
There are supposed to work for us, but they work for themselves and their cronies. The average citizen is a casualty in their ridiculous charade.
@Matt-Hickey is, was, and always will be nothing but a yes tool for the mayor.
Am I to read into this that the crooked city council that replaced don jeff and max did hickey a big favor and literally changed a law so their fellow councilman coudl keep his mancave? These people ought to be ashamed of themselves. What kind of example for their fellow citizens are they showing here? Hickey appears to be a scofflaw! I say force him to connect the garages!
The ordinance was changed to allow more than one garage when Max was on the Council. For at least 30 years the city had only allowed one. It was a stupid rule so the Community Development Department went through the process to change it.
Favoritism. Down right corruption is what this is. What a crooked deal on the garages. And he has the nuts to go after two good men.
Just hold on. Is this the same guy who said city hall is just like a mcdonalds? From what I hear down here in des moines, your town is run by raving lunatics. I read in the register about all the corruption up your way. I will say prayers to Jesus for all of you in Mason city, because you really need it with leaders like this.
What an asshole. Period. He is the edge of non reasoning. He will get his sooner or later.
Oh and he can’t play ball worth a crap and everyone knows it, we pretend to him. If he would quit thinking about how to screw people when needed he might see some rational thoughts peek through about himself. Never gonna happen.
Just like all other city department. Management expect special perks and no work while the workers get crapped on. Management screws around eats at lds when they should be working or drive around in there dance ford explores wasting gas.
Well I can see it was taken care of. Because he is a council member, he doesn’t have to abide by city code. I doubt that anybody else would have gotten away with what he has. It’s the old addage, Don’t do as I do, Do as I say.
I think I’ll run for office and ask the code to be changed so the city can build me a mansion.
Duh
This is what almost all the elected assholes do.
FEATHER THEIR OWN NEST AND SCREW THE TAXPAYERS!
Well, maybe I’ll just ask for $100,000 to remodel my house, like they gave Harley Davidson.
What does this jerk want. If Sberal and Peterson did the job they are supposed to do, Hickey would have been cited and forced to remove or attach his two garages. But then if they had cited Hickey, they would have been threatened with being fired. Several years ago I was trying to get a small building placed on my property and got the run around from city hall. I brought up the two garages on Hicky’s property and was told it was being taken care of. Continued…
I see nothing wrong with that. No reason why a home owner can’t have two garages if the lot is big enough and since the garage has it’s own lot I’d say it’s big enough. City codes should be reasonable and not punitive. I see your point in that now Hickey wants other codes strictly enforced. it reminds me of the redneck at the bar drinking and smoking and calling pot users druggies. People want laws that apply to everyone ELSE it seems.
WTF does this glorifed delivery boy know about code enforcement, or anythign for that matter. This guy could f**k up a cup of coffee. What s simpleton. Nothing worse than a stupid man who bullies people to get what he wants.