City wants you to do it yourself

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) - Dayton is trying a "Do It Yourself" code enforcement strategy in a handful of neighborhoods starting in March.

"We're hoping to reduce the call volume of those low level complaints we receive and have them addressed by the neighborhood," says Planning and Community Development Director Aaron Sorrell.

The program will be rolled out in seven neighborhoods on a trial basis but could be citywide by the start of 2013.

Basically neighbors will be the ones who spot the problems and let the property owner know about them.

"What we're trying to do is provide the tools such as postage, postcards, door hangers, those that are expensive and could drain a neighborhood's budget," Sorrell says.

The violators will be documented using an online reporting form. City code enforcers will follow-up if someone refuses to take care of the mess.

Neighbors are being told to stick to just things they can see from the street like high grass or garbage.

"We're not training them to be housing inspectors," Sorrell says.

But any little bit could help a city that doesn't have the resources in the budget to keep an eye on everything.

Plus, nobody knows a problem like those who have to live next to it everyday.

"This is one boat," says Kevin Jones with the FROC Priority Board, one of the areas trying out the program. "We're all in it. We're either going to sink or swim together. Really the choice is ours."

Jones says his neighborhood has been taking care of high grass and trash for a while, but they're happy to now have a more formal system to report violators.

"It gives us a better recourse for holding people accountable for maintaining properties," Jones says.