Dave Uhas, the city’s code enforcement officer, told the Medical Lake Planning Commission how complaints are processed, what evidence staff collect and how unresolved cases can lead to civil infractions. “If it’s a case that has active that I’m working on, you ask me about a particular residence to respect the privacy of the defendant, I may not want to discuss details of the case publicly,” Uhas said, explaining why some inquiries must be handled by email.

Uhas described the typical steps: validate jurisdiction, triage complaints, gather photos and create a photo PDF outlining violations, send a certified violation letter and reinspect after the deadline. He said civil-infraction fines are currently $513 per day while a nuisance continues and that he tracks cases in a spreadsheet and by a digital file folder for public-records requests.

Commissioners and residents asked how the city can help people who cannot physically clean up properties. Commissioner Judy and others suggested using twice-yearly dump passes or a temporary dumpster as Airway Heights does; Uhas and staff noted the city is negotiating a new solid-waste contract and that coupon or dumpster options could be included as a service or as part of voluntary compliance agreements. Planning staff said they are exploring whether the city can provide a coupon as part of a voluntary compliance agreement to help remediate long-standing blight.

Uhas described enforcement realities: some properties have been out of compliance for years, and court timelines can be slow. He gave one example by case number: Medical Lake case 2307, opened 05/03/2023, has required multiple court hearings and remains active. He also explained practical notification steps when certified mail is returned: staff may send a regular envelope and, if necessary, leave the notice on the front porch to complete legal notice.

The commission agreed to update the online complaint form so staff get better information up-front, and staff asked commissioners and residents to submit complaints through the city’s code-enforcement form so cases can be logged and tracked.