Code Enforcement – Driving Economic Development

Thanks to the Oklahoma Code Enforcement Association
Article By Andy Templeton

If you are old enough to remember when gas stations prided themselves on ultra-clean restrooms, then you’ll have an appreciation for code enforcement as an economic development vehicle in your city or town. Half a century ago, motorists passed through communities searching for the cleanest gas stations to stop at. Appearance was everything, and stations that lacked tidiness were left sucking exhaust fumes as motorists sought cleaner stations down the road.

Grime-laden gas stations are now blighted relics that haunt mere wide spots in the road.

And so it also goes with communities large and small in Oklahoma. Prospective business investors are constantly driving through cities and towns peering out their windshields for growth opportunities. Shiny communities invitingly gleam with pride and prosperity. Those that look like the grime-laden gas stations of yesteryear get left in the economic rearview mirror.

Since its formation more than two decades ago, the Oklahoma Code Enforcement Association has provided the education tools necessary to repair breakdowns in blighted community and tune-up economic prospects in prosperous ones. Through its code enforcement certification class, International Property Maintenance Code class, fall and spring conferences, and OML outreach activities, OCEA has been a spark plug to fire up community stabilization and revitalization throughout the state.

OCEA also prides itself on service with each sale. Networking contacts are there to help map out a community’s best route to prosperity. Information and essential resources are available on OCEA’s website at www.oceassociation.com.

Many small communities – those with populations in the hundreds – are now making long-term commitments and investments in code enforcement. Their leaders recognize that healthy, safe and attractive communities are the key to survival and prosperity. If they don’t step on the gas to eliminate blight, they’ll find themselves backing up.

So don’t let citizens, visitors and prospective businesses leave your community with an empty gas tank matched with an empty impression. Code enforcement can put the brakes on blight and make your community like the ultra-clean gas station that everyone longs to stop at.

Andy Templeton is Code Enforcement Manager for the City of Sand Springs.