Cumberland Updates Health, Safety Standards

Cumberland County’s new Codes Department will begin enforcing health and safety standards under a plan from County Commissioners.

The regulations are meant to focus on garbage piles, dilapidated homes, and other public safety hazards. County Mayor Allen Foster said the rules are currently not managed by any department, but rather a committee that is not properly equipped for the task.

“There’s definitely distinctions in authorities there of what the two should do,” Foster said. “And this was a committee made up of some commissioners and then the public, some public members. So it wasn’t exactly a legislative branch but you know a committee’s not meant to do executive, administrative type work.”

Foster said the county will have to hire a new employee for the codes department to help with the new responsibilities. Foster said the rules will be almost identical to what they are now when the change goes into effect next July.

“It actually follows the Putnam County model to some degree,” Foster said. “Of course we’ve made it our own but it’s going to be coming in-house now.”

Foster said he agrees with the idea that people should “live and let live,” but there need to be certain protections for the broader community. Foster said policies will only focus on common sense health and safety issues.

“It’s not going to be anything like how tall your grass is or anything like that,” Foster said. “It’s truly going to be health and safety standards so that you can’t do things that would be detrimental to the health and safety of your neighbors.”