Prince George’s new Manager of Bylaw Services was introduced to the City’s Standing Committee on Public Safety.
Kent MacNeill has been in the role for around a month now.
“So far the transition has been fantastic, really enjoying the atmosphere at the City, the very strong bylaw department, and so far it’s been fantastic,” MacNeill said in an interview with My PG Now.
Prior to taking on the role of Manager of Bylaw Services, MacNeill served 24.5 years in policing in Prince George.
“I’ve spent a considerable amount of time living in this community, I care deeply about the way it looks and its reputation on a provincial and national scale, and I thought Bylaw was a really natural fit where I thought I can engage in a job that can make a difference in a community,” he said.
MacNeill said Bylaw is a completely different world from policing.
“It was eye-opening in many ways, you come in with your own sort of perceptions about what the bylaw world is like, and then you get here and you realize that it’s certainly much busier than I expected,” he explained.
“Our officers handle 5,500-plus calls a year, they’re all over the city dealing with everything from encampments to open drug use, to unsightly properties to parking infractions, our animal control people are constantly out dealing with dangerous dogs and lost dogs. It’s certainly busier than I anticipated, but in a good way.”
MacNeill said his goal is to maintain a certain community standard.
“Any goal within bylaw services is always initially education-based,” he said.
“I really want our team to be engaging with all the people in the community and want them to take an education first approach, and ultimately, it’s to address the needs of people who call us.”
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