BROOMFIELD — You would never describe Ron and Carrie Wecker’s working-class neighborhood in north Broomfield as well-coiffed. And the Weckers are just fine with that.
“If one of my neighbors painted their house purple with white polka dots, well that’s their choice, and it’s my choice to live next to them,” Carrie Wecker said.
There is nothing that outlandish near the Weckers’, just modest homes with a few cracks in the driveways and some roofs that could use some patching.
Inside, people are struggling to get by, said friend Louise Benson. “Some are hanging on by their fingernails,” she said.
She, like the Weckers, grew incensed with a new city ordinance that they say tries to turn Broomfield into a “giant HOA” and puts more financial pressure on residents already teetering on fiscal collapse.
The ordinance, adopted Sept. 9, allows city enforcement officers to take property owners to court if they don’t take care of their homes or lawns. The measure lists 17 conditions that could lead to a citation, including too much peeling paint, disintegrating roofs or broken windows.
A property would be considered a nuisance if at least three of those 17 conditions exist.
Other cities have either approved or are looking at similar measures, all aimed at tackling health or maintenance concerns, especially in older neighborhoods.
City officials say sprucing up sagging homes and apartments to meet code and health requirements helps drive up property values and instills pride in a community.
“Our intent is to assure good clean, decent housing for all our residents,” said Federal Heights City Manager David Blanchard.
But in some communities, residents are fighting the new requirements, saying they look more like “Big Brother” peering over their privacy fences.
“This is, after all, still America,” Carrie Wecker said. The Weckers — along with their 20-year-old son — and Benson helped gather enough signatures to force the city to either repeal the ordinance or call for a citywide special election.
Nobody is saying people should let their homes or apartments fall apart. But cities, when they adopt such measures, don’t take into account families struggling with financial, health and other issues that prevent them from meeting new standards, Benson said.
“You have elderly people who are disabled and worried about how they are going to now pay for a new roof,” she said. “You have people who have two jobs or can’t find a job.”
Broomfield officials, however, say the city is ready to help homeowners who need assistance fixing up their homes. They insist they didn’t approve the ordinance just to get people in trouble.
“The city is not out here with a big, steel club,” said Broomfield Mayor Patrick Quinn. “We can get volunteers to help, even line up funding. The intent of this is to work with homeowners, in a partnership, to minimize the cost to them.”
In Federal Heights, the City Council recently shelved new requirements that allowed code enforcement officers to enter a rental property to inspect it for sanitation, ventilation and other problems.
The city pushed for the ordinance after getting several complaints about the shabby conditions of some rental housing in the community, officials said.
“It’s about time this city started taking care of some of its problems for itself,” said former Federal Heights council member Sharon Rich ardson.
But residents’ alarm over the perceived sweeping nature of the ordinance prompted the City Council to table the measure until March after a “cooling off” period.
Maybe by then, people will better understand what the city is trying to accomplish, said Councilman Dale Sparks.
“This measure doesn’t mean police will be marching into your home,” Sparks said. “This is not a Gestapo thing.”
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com
