We have a feeling many city residents agree with the city development director’s standing request to hire six to eight more code enforcement officers.

Frankly, we can’t disagree with Crystal Surdyk’s request either.

But we know just as well as Surdyk does that more code enforcement officers aren’t walking in the Development Department’s doors anytime soon, just as the additional police officers that are continually part of every Jamestown police chief’s budget request for the past three decades aren’t on the way anytime soon either. It would help, we note, if the city was able to fill the positions that are included in the budget. That’s been an ongoing struggle for the past few years.

City residents know one way to clean up Jamestown’s neighborhoods is to have more code officers on the street enforcing the city’s rules and regulations for neighborhoods. They know that having more police officers will mean faster response times when an emergency happens and, ideally, safer streets as more cases are closed and those responsible for crimes held responsible.

The only thing holding us back is money. And while some will say money can’t buy you happiness, it can buy additional targeted police details or code enforcement sweeps. We also know taxpayers are tapped out when it comes to adding much to the city’s payroll in the wake of a 5.5% tax increase that comes due in 2026 and the 3.77% tax increase from 2025. Of course, the city hadn’t had a tax increase of more than 1% since 2018, with tax rate cuts 2019, 2020 and 2024 – though the 2024 tax cut comes with a grain of salt since much of the 2025 tax hike was to pay for items that weren’t accounted for in the 2024 budget.

How, then, do we pay for more code enforcement officers or police officers? The city has to find a way to restructure its existing operations to pay for the things people want. Growing the tax base with new development – and some luck when assessments are challenged in court – would help spread the city’s taxes over more taxpayers and lessen the burden many in the city face.

More than three-quarters of the city budget (78%) is already accounted for in salaries and benefits. Until reliable non-tax revenues are secured, the type of positions many city residents want simply can’t happen unless they want to pay a lot more in taxes – and people’s hatred of taxes far outweighs their desire to see more code officers or police officers on the streets.