NORFOLK - Councilman Robert J. Harvey would like the town to take a more proactive approach to code enforcement.

Mr. Harvey proposed changing the service at Tuesday’s Town Council meeting. Many residents who see a neighboring property in disarray aren’t necessarily calling town hall to complain. The town should be looking for properties with code violations on its own more, he said.

“We shouldn’t have to wait for a resident to call up and complain that something’s a mess,” Mr. Harvey said. “Some people don’t deserve the things that they’re living next to.”

Mr. Harvey suggested the town’s code enforcement officer could visit certain areas once or twice a week.

“We all know where those problem areas are,” he said.

Adopting a proactive approach is easier said than done, Supervisor Charles A. Pernice said after the meeting. Norfolk has approximately 2,600 parcels and 56 miles of roads; it’s one of the largest towns in the county, he said.

“It’s a big town. It’s tough to have a code enforcement officer patrolling the town of Norfolk,” Mr. Pernice said. “If you’re not in the neighborhood, you’re not going to see it. It’s a complaint driven business.”

“There isn’t a system we have where we’re going to go out on every one of these roads looking for violations,” Mr. Pernice said.

Code Enforcement Office Leonard “Max” Halpern was absent from Tuesday night’s meeting and could not be reached for comment afterward.

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