(a) Establishment. The position of City of Mount Vernon ZEO shall be established to aid in the administration and enforcement of this code. The ZEO may be provided with the assistance of such other persons as the SSD may direct.
(b) Roles and Powers of the ZEO. The ZEO shall have the following roles and powers to:
(1) Enforce the provisions of this code. The ZEO shall have all necessary authority on behalf of the City to administer and enforce the provisions of this code. Such authority shall include the ability to order, in writing, the remedy of any condition found in violation of this code and the ability to bring legal action to ensure compliance with the provisions including injunction, abatement, or other appropriate action or proceeding. All officials and employees of the City may assist the ZEO by reporting to the ZEO any new construction, reconstruction, land uses, or violations that are observed;
(2) Review and provide comments and reports, as needed, for the various procedures where the MPC, HRC, BZA, or City Council reviews an application;
(3) Review and make administrative decisions on zoning permits and administrative waiver applications;
(4) Review and make decisions on questions of interpretation related to this code;
(5) Accept, review for completeness, and respond to questions regarding review procedure applications established in this code;
(6) Participate in any pre-application meetings as may be requested by a property owner or potential applicant in accordance with this code;
(7) Coordinate the City's administrative review of applications required by this code, including, but not limited to, rezoning applications, conditional use applications, and subdivision plats;
(8) Review and make decisions on minor subdivision applications;
(9) Maintain in current status the official zoning map;
(10) Serve as the Secretary of the MPC, BZA, and HRC;
(11) Refer requests for appeals of decisions to the BZA pursuant to the procedures established in Section 1103.07;
(12) Provide such technical and consultation assistance as may be required by the BZA, HRC, the MPC, and City Council, in the exercise of their duties relating to this code;
(13) Maintain permanent and current records of all applications and the decisions related to those applications;
(14) Review, inspect property, and make decisions on compliance with the provisions of this code;
(15) Investigate complaints and issue citations or other forms of enforcement and penalties for any violations and keep adequate records of all violations;
(16) Order discontinuance of any illegal work being done;
(17) Revoke a zoning permit issued contrary to this code or based on a false statement or misrepresentation on the application;
(18) Recommend to the MPC revocation of conditional use where they believe the terms of permits have been violated;
(19) Take any other action authorized by this code to ensure compliance with or to prevent violation(s) of this code;
(20) Prepare and submit an annual report to the City Council and MPC on the administration of this code, setting forth such information as may be of interest and value in advancing and furthering the purpose of this code. Such report shall include recommendations concerning the schedule of fees; and
(21) Undertake any additional work as specified by this code or as requested by the Safety Service Director, the review boards, or City Council.
(c) Decisions of the ZEO. A decision of the ZEO may be appealed to the BZA in accordance with Section 1103.07 unless another appeals board is established by this code.
(Ord. 2024-032. Passed 7-22-24.)