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| Modified truck enlisted in battle against vandalism |
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| Written by John Saiz / Patterson Irrigator / | |
| Saturday, 06 October 2007 | |
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“Even with my master’s degree, I’d apply for it.” - Councilman Dominic Farinha  Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator With a 5-0 vote, the council authorized spending up to $77,500 to buy a box truck and rig it with a power washer and paint mixer. The truck will allow the Community Development Department to quickly remove graffiti from properties throughout the city. Staff estimated it would take $15,000 annually to keep the rig rolling. While the council doled out money for the equipment, they had reservations about hiring an additional employee to man the vehicle. Staff proposed hiring a new code enforcement officer, who would cost $47,151 annually. However, council members said that was too much to pay someone for spraying walls. Excluding benefits, the salary for the position would be around $31,000. “Even with my master’s degree, I’d apply for it,” Councilman Dominic Farinha said. The council told staff to see if cheaper staffing options would be available and to bring those options back at a future meeting. “Cost is always an issue, especially with a startup,” said Rod Simpson, director of community development. Staff suggested that the new employee could do more than just graffiti removal. Simpson estimated the new worker would eventually spend about half a day doing graffiti removal and the rest of the day doing other work for the department. The new position could allow for staff to start looking for code violations. The city’s enforcement officer now only has time to respond to complaints. “(They could be) sweeping the neighborhood, looking for compliance,” City Manager Cleve Morris said. A hotline will be created when the graffiti abatement program begins, allowing people to report vandalism. The graffiti truck will remove the vandalism or paint over it on any property in the city at no cost to the owner. The city now only removes graffiti from city property; it is the sibility to remove graffiti from private property. The new program will improve the look of the city, help landowners who incur expenses from vandalism and prevent gang activity, according to a report from community development. The program is also expected to free up time for the Parks and Recreation Department, which has been responsible for removing graffiti from city parks. “We’re doing it around the clock,” Parks and Recreation Director Adrienne Chaney said. To reach John Saiz at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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