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Presentation of the 2019 American Association of Code Enforcement (AACE) Innovative Code Program award
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BACKGROUND:
The American Association of Code Enforcement is a national nonprofit association representing the profession of code enforcement. Since its inception, AACE has become the premier association fostering code compliance through its certification program, education, training and enforcement. To identify and honor excellence in the profession, the AACE annually recognizes individual agencies who exhibit best practices in the industry. As such, the City of Farmers Branch Code Enforcement Division was awarded the Innovative Code Program of the Year for its efforts in increasing awareness to citizens regarding code enforcement.
This was accomplished through a three-pronged approach geared towards educating citizens on the do’s and dont’s of code enforcement. First, the Community Services department implemented a series of Public Service Announcements through the series called “Code Corner.” The Code Corner appears on the city’s cable access channel “FBTV” and is part of a regular rotation of announcements aimed at providing citizens additional information about specific code requirements, as well as providing tips on how to ensure that their property remains in compliance with local rules and ordinances. Secondly, this effort was further reinforced by providing similar information as a monthly water bill insert. The third component of this awareness campaign is through the city’s electronic newsletter, the Branch Bulletin, in which a written component of the “Code Corner” is included to further increase awareness of Code Enforcement and give our citizens the information they need to help us in maintaining the health, safety and integrity of our community.