UP TO CODE — John Murphy, volunteer code enforcement officer for Mingo Junction, stood with his vehicle, which was marked with his position’s emblem. -- Christopher Dacanay

MINGO JUNCTION — Prior to John Murphy volunteering as Mingo Junction’s code enforcement officer, the village suffered from copious neglected properties, which were resulting in “a lot of complaints,” according to Mayor Judy Ruckman.

The village’s last full-time fire inspector left the department near the end of 2023. With the fire chief left juggling fire inspection duties and managing the department’s high call volume, cracking down on property nuisances became a secondary priority.

A Mingo native, Murphy assumed the code enforcement officer position in late May, after overhearing an appeal for help from Ruckman.

“I happened to be talking about it at the front of the (city building), and Murph was standing there,” Ruckman recalled. “I said, ‘We need a code enforcer,’ and he said so nicely: ‘I can do that.'”

Without compensation, Murphy has been carrying out the code enforcement officer’s duties, inspecting local properties and issuing warnings for municipal code violations. After more than four months, he and Ruckman believe the efforts have made a big difference in the village.

“He’s been an awesome contributor to the community because he’s gotten so many of the properties taken care of just by being nice,” Ruckman said.

Murphy has authority to report high grass and weeds, as well as trash and rubbish violations, and he forwards cases of inoperable or unlicensed vehicles to the village police department. Being uncertified, Murphy does not have authority to report any structural or fire code issues.

Once he’s observed a violation, Murphy drafts a written warning that provides the specific statute being violated. Warning letters also assert the necessary corrective measures and give a timeline for those measures to be enacted.

Following individual approval from Ruckman, letters are sent to their property owners’ mailing addresses, which Murphy obtains through public records. That’s in case Murphy doesn’t find anyone to be at home. Otherwise, he’ll provide a verbal notice of the warning, which most property owners seem to appreciate more, he said.

By regulation, property owners have seven days to remediate the violation, unless they come to an agreement with Murphy to receive an extension. At the end of those seven days, if no progress is observed, Murphy will issue a second warning, notifying property owners that they could face litigation.

Ruckman determines a non-compliant case’s fate. She may forward it to the Jefferson County Prosecutor’s Office, leading to a hearing in Jefferson County court. If found guilty, the property owner can be required to pay between $150 and $1,000 — plus court costs — and a lien may be placed on the property until that fine is paid.

Murphy estimated he’s served around 150 warnings since he started. Of those, between 75 and 80 percent have been compliant.

“I’ve really never had (an instance) where somebody pretty much just totally said, ‘Forget it. I’m not doing anything.’ They get right on it,” Murphy said, adding, “People forget. We didn’t have an officer for a time until I came on. Once you remind them nicely and use diplomacy and understanding from human nature — not the political or law enforcement aspect of it — people tend to want to comply. They feel like: ‘Thank you for letting me know.'”

Murphy said he’s more than willing to grant extensions to those who contact him or the village and explain their extenuating circumstances, whether they’re financial, personal or health-related. Everyone’s life is complex, he said, so the village should be understanding and take those circumstances into consideration.

“We don’t know what’s going on in their life,” Murphy said. “You can’t (say), ‘Regulation says seven days, and that’s all you’ve got.’ You can’t do that. You are not going to get the response that you’re expecting out of the citizens if you act like that. You have to be compassionate and understanding of their problems and their needs.”

Murphy professes — and Ruckman agrees — that the goal of code enforcement should not be to send village residents to court and burden them with fines. Murphy said he’d rather confer extensions and work with residents to avoid those outcomes, but if someone isn’t willing to communicate their circumstances or comply with warnings, then they’ll be forcing the village’s hand.

Through his work, Murphy has encountered between 20 and 30 properties within the village that are “in limbo for different reasons,” according to Ruckman. A variety of challenges could stand in the way of code enforcement, she said, including property owners having died or been moved to a nursing home. Some properties have been repossessed and are in control of banks rather than people, which impedes communication.

A number of those properties “in limbo” are owned by commercial investors who live out of state, Ruckman said, adding that they have the same property maintenance obligations that residents do.

Murphy said he gives credit to the citizens of Mingo Junction who have responded positively to the new code enforcement efforts and gotten violations cleaned up. He’s reportedly received many expressions of gratitude from villagers, who believe the efforts have made a difference in restoring hometown pride.

“I’m really, really happy with the turnout from this to date,” Murphy said. “It’s because of the people that makes it like this. Salute to the citizens of the Village of Mingo Junction for accepting this in a positive way and taking care of their ordinance violations in a timely manner and keeping up with it. I can’t be any happier with my village and the people who live here.”

Ruckman echoed that sentiment, saying, “I’m really proud of the community for stepping up. I generally just want our town to reflect that we’re a good town, it’s a good place.”