Fairfield may replace code compliance officer with two new positions

FAIRFIELD – The City of Fairfield is looking into how it enforces codes and ordinances, and may create two positions to tackle all the responsibilities, one within the police department and another one under planning and zoning.

Until 2022, the city’s position of code compliance officer was part-time. Back then, Scott Vaughan was both the city’s code compliance officer and its fire chief. After Vaughan stepped down, the city council voted to make the position full-time, and hired Weston McKee. McKee stepped down from his post in the fall of 2025, and since then, the city council has discussed going in a completely new direction by creating two positions within different departments.

One possibility the council has discussed is creating a community resource officer within the police department. Fairfield City Administrator Doug Reinert said this officer would have more legal authority to “address bigger issues where the city falls short.” He noted that McKee’s responsibilities included enforcing property maintenance code, overgrown yards, animal complaints, and abandoned homes, among others. However, Reinert said the new community resource officer could also take on addressing loose dogs and other animals, illegal parking and issuing citations, which the code compliance officer was unable to do. City staff are investigating similar positions in other towns.

“The public resource officer will take the pressure off the police department, fire department and planning and zoning in many enforcement and inspection cases,” Reinert said.

The other new position the city may create is a director of planning and zoning, who would oversee city codes, manage staff, update ordinances, perform inspections, and work with both the Board of Adjustment and Planning and Zoning Board, along with other city departments.

The Union asked Reinert which of the two positions would be responsible for enforcing nuisance ordinances, and he said that they would work together.

“These two positions are key positions in the inspection and enforcement of the municipal codes and nuisances,” he said. “The city has tried over the years to achieve this with a Code Compliance Officer alone but that has proved to not be enough moving forward as the city grows.”

The Union asked Reinert if the city has done a good job of enforcing nuisance ordinances in recent years.

“Yes, but more work needs to be done, and one person is not enough to address it all,” he replied.

The Union asked if there were any areas where the city can improve.

“We continue to address yard issues, abandoned houses, overgrowth of landscaping, loose animals, trash, junk, parking issues and much more,” Reinert said. “The more we look, the more we find.”

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com

  Buy Photo