(La Porte, IN) - More than 4,000 citations have been given for code violations in the City La Porte this year or roughly double the amount from 2019.

 

La Porte Code Enforcement Director Jeff Batchelor said just a slight percentage of the violators

were actually fined, though, because people are given a chance to comply before hit financially.  Only about 120 fines were issued out of 4,400 citations, he said.

 

Batchelor was brought in by Mayor Tom Dermody who made code enforcement a top priority when he took office on January 1.  The La Porte native is a former prison administrator who started as a correctional officer during his long career with the Indiana Department of Correction prior to accepted the job as code enforcement officer.

 

Batchelor says two more code enforcement officers will be added next year from the three he currently has in the department to further the momentum of cleaning up the city and improving the appearance of buildings.