A Garland woman who was in hospice care and could no longer afford to upkeep her lawn. A recent widow who had difficulty paying for someone to maintain her yard.
They and other Garland residents who don’t have the means — financially or physically — to bring their homes up to code could have all faced fines if city volunteers hadn’t stepped in.
As Garland shifts from a criminal code enforcement model to a civil one, residents are getting assistance to comply with ordinances and avoid penalties.
“It’s helping clean up neighborhoods,” said city council member Carissa Dutton said. “It's helping getting people into compliance faster and with far more resources for the person that may not be able to physically or financially take care of it.”
Under the criminal citation model, violations could cost residents up to $200 and could result in criminal charges. Under the new model, going into effect Tuesday, violations will be handled by city offices instead of courts, and residents can qualify for assistance through the Garland Cares Compliance Assistance Program, which connects them to resources to fix the violations.
Dutton said she had been advocating for the change since she took office in 2023. She said the previous process was lengthy and costly for both the city and the constituents.
“We're simply changing our method for getting people into compliance,” Dutton said. “These are all the same ordinances that we've had.”
In the leadup to the shift, code compliance officers have been leaving notices on doors where there are potential violations.
Volunteers with the city’s Volunteer Garland department have been helping mow lawns, get rid of trash and complete minor repairs to get properties into compliance.
Glenna Saygidia has been consistently volunteering with Volunteer Garland, since it started a year and a half ago. She said she’s seen the impact it has, especially for seniors.
“I remember one lady came out crying,” Saygidia said. “She was just so happy and excited and appreciative that we were there for her. And, you know, just a nice thing to do for the neighbors.”
Josue Diaz, the manager for Volunteer Garland, said his department has been gathering up all the “do-gooders in Garland.”
“There's a ton of quick folks here ... that are volunteering all over the city and the movers and shakers and they want to get involved, " Diaz said.
“And for the first time, now we have this city organization that can put all this together and we're connected with community and the businesses and the non-profits and the churches and the schools.”
The city also has a Garland Cares Tool Loan Assistance Program that gives residents access to basic yard maintenance and cleanup tools to help with code-related issues.
Diaz said they are hoping to get more volunteers and grow their “small army of local neighbors” willing to do projects in the community to help their community members who are in most need of assistance.
“This is a magical time in the city of Garland, where we have the opportunity to make the city a different place in the future,” Diaz said. “It's a time where decision making and opportunity and problem solving has kind of come together to solve a problem here in the city."
Priscilla Rice is KERA’s communities reporter. Got a tip? Email her at price@kera.org.
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