There's a New Zoning Enforcement Officer in Town

Joe Chapman looked out the window of his Monroe Town Hall office, taking in a view that includes a Dumpster. Monroe's new zoning enforcement officer will place non-permitted and illegal signs beside that receptacle.

The signs will be by the Dumpster for a few days. If it's not picked up, it will be thrown out," Chapman said. "Usually, out of courtesy for a first time offender, I'll call and leave a message of where the signs will be. With chronic violators' signs, I will just throw it right out."

First Selectman Steve Vavrek said he wanted to hire a ZEO, who could hit the ground running, and Chapman has been clearing a back-load of cases piled up on his desk and taking on new complaints of zoning violations from day one.

Chapman started at Town Hall in late April and on Thursday night, the Planning & Zoning Commission met with him in executive session — which is closed off to the public — then voted unanimously to officially install him as Monroe's new zoning enforcement officer when the public meeting reconvened.

The P&Z had been assuming the zoning enforcement duties since Jack Brandt recently retired as ZEO. The commission has now transferred most of its zoning enforcement powers to Chapman.

"Jack was great in many instances, but he wasn't using his full enforcement capabilities to back that up," Vavrek said.

Catherine Lombardi, human resources director, said there were 22 applicants for the ZEO position and that Chapman was hired with a starting salary of $48,991.

In another personnel move, the first selectman appointed Michael Sohon as the designated officer for blight on April 21.

Vavrek said he wants to have a level playing field for everybody in town, with businesses treated equally and residents abutting commercial properties having their rights protected.

Chapman was the zoning enforcement officer in Woodbury for five years. While reviewing applications and interviewing finalists, the first selectman said Chapman's experience, eye for detail and willingness to be a team player stood out.

"We needed somebody who could hit the ground running, come in and handle the issues that had been let go for years," Vavrek said.

'We can solve this'

Joe Chapman and his wife Claudia live in Southbury, where they raised a son. Prior to becoming a ZEO, Chapman was employed as a construction manager in Greenwich.

As a zoning enforcement officer, Chapman said his favorite part of the job is dealing with the public. "I hate to be bored and there's always some problem to be solved," he said. "My attitude is always, 'Let's see how we can solve this.'"

He estimates that 80 percent of the time, people who violate a zoning violation don't know they're doing it. They may have used an illegal sign for years and had one horse too many on their property for years before anyone ever filed a complaint, he said.

"Regulations are online and I can answer questions," Chapman said. "Some are easy and others are clearly a legal issue."

In all cases, Chapman asks someone who wants to file a complaint if they spoke to their neighbor first.

While in some cases people don't know they're violating zoning regulations, in others, those who complain to the ZEO are going to the wrong place, according to Chapman.

A common misconception is that just because an issue deals with property, it is a zoning issue. For example, Chapman said not mowing the lawn and leaving junked cars and trash in one's yard would fall under blight. If someone puts a fence up and their neighbor claims it's on their property, he said a survey may have to be done or an assessor's map should be looked at. That could ultimately be a legal issue.

Monroe's zoning regulations are different than Woodbury's and Chapman has been adapting to that and learning on the fly.

He said the most common violations tend to be illegal occupation of a dwelling, non-permitted businesses, illegal and non-permitted signs and illegal structures such as a barn, a shed or a garage.

To have any out-building on one's property, Planning & Zoning approval must first be obtained, according to Chapman.

Thorny Issues

Since a number of businesses and homeowners have been in violation of zoning regulations before and during the transition period of changing ZEOs, the town will be sending out violation notices allowing them to resolve their situations, before Chapman starts cracking down on them.

"We're in the process of making form letters for types of violations," he said.

Chapman encourages those who receive a notice not to ignore it.

"You might have information we don't have," he said. "Why not tell us why you think it's okay? If you ignore it, it's escalated. You have to have a process and you have to follow through on it."

Chapman said those who file complaints often become frustrated that swift enforcement actions do not immediately ensue.

"We have to treat everyone equally," he said. "If the person making the complaint had one made against them, they wouldn't want us running at them making allegations that may not be founded, so let's give everyone the same opportunity."

If someone receives a violation notice and disagrees with it, Chapman said there is an opportunity to explain their position to the Planning & Zoning Commission.

One recent Thursday afternoon, a priority list of cases was displayed on Chapman's computer screen. In only his second day on the job, he handled a back-load of violations and just received three new ones. Chapman wouldn't have it any other way.

"We didn't have this much activity in Woodbury," he said. "It's a chance to grow into the position. And, personally, I find this work very satisfying."

"The most thorny problems can be the most fun," Chapman said. "When dealing with people with different viewpoints, neither will be completely happy. But if both are relatively satisfied with the outcome, then I feel I did what I could do. I don't write the regulations. I just enforce them."