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<br />REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM <br />Agenda Date Requested: i1-16-92 <br />Requested By: Charles Harrington ~~ Department: Planning <br />Report Resolution X Ordinance <br />Exhibits: <br />1. Proposed ordinance amendment to Ordinance 1743. <br />SUMMARY & RECOMMENDATION <br />Backgroun8 <br />This past summer during fire inspections of different restaurants <br />in La Porte, the Fire Marshal and Assistant Fire Marshal began to <br />notice what appeared to be unsanitary conditions in several <br />restaurants. It was felt that the Harris County Health Department <br />was not performing their inspection process properly in La Porte. <br />During a meeting with the Harris County Health Department, we were <br />provided with a more accurate picture of their process and <br />enforcement procedures. From that meeting, we developed the <br />following solutions to the problem: <br />1. Due to their inability to be here more often than once a <br />quarter, the Fire Marshal will note violations when <br />making fire inspections and then notify the Health <br />Department of possible hazards. At that time they will <br />make special inspections. <br />2. There is a problem in enforcing the Health Ordinance. As <br />it is now, the only enforcement tool is revocation of a <br />permit. This requires the following procedure: <br />Note problem and allow ten (10) days to resolve the <br />violation. <br />Re-inspect and if that violation still exists, the <br />permit is suspended pending a hearing on the <br />permit. If the original problem is corrected but a <br />new one is found, the process begins again. Many <br />times this process can take 30 days or more to <br />clear up a possible health hazard. In order to <br />accomplish this, the Health Department requested La <br />Porte to authorize them to issue citations to <br />violators of the Health Ordinance. The citations <br />would be handled through the La Porte Municipal <br />Court, thereby returning the fees to La Porte as <br />well as offering fairly quick enforcement. <br />Recommendation <br />The staff recommends that Council approve Ordinance Amendment 1743- <br />A which will allow the issuance of citations by the Harris County <br />Health Department in La Porte. <br />