Neighborhood Services

Code Enforcement

The City of Jackson has housing codes and anti-blight ordinances to help make neighborhoods safer, to reduce deterioration and to keep them great places to live, work and play.  Residents play an important role in neighborhood upkeep by reporting neighborhood blight conditions and violations of ordinances. 
What is blight? Blight is a severely spoiled or ruined state, especially of an urban area. Blight conditions decrease property values, encourage and discourage other homeowners, business owners and tenants from maintaining their properties.  Click here for a review of the most frequent ordinance violations.
Property owners have 15 days to correct for major violations, and 30 days to correct minor violations. The enforcement process can extend a year due many times to absentee property owners.  Property owners who receive multiple citations may be called to appear in Environmental Court, which was established in July 2008.

The current Code Department has three full time staff and one part time staff member.  To report code violations, call 731-425-8239 or complete an online complaint form.

Community Gardens

Families and groups are offered an opportunity to grown a garden on neighborhood lots in Jackson.  Jackson Community Gardens is a City of Jackson joint venture that involves First Methodist Church, UT Agricultural Extension Services, Madison County Master Gardeners and JEA.  Lots are provided and soil prepared for garden planting by volunteer garden coordinators.   Signs will be provided identifying each neighborhood garden.

How to Participate

1. Become a volunteer Garden Coordinator – manage and oversee a garden lot.
2. Offer financial support as a Project Sponsor – provide “seed money” and/or technical expertise.
3. Be a “Friend of Jackson Community Gardens by making a donation.  Make checks payable to First United Methodist Church designated for “Jackson Community Gardens. 

Garden Sites

1. St. Luke’s Episcopal Church – 300 Block of East Main Street (next to old City Hall building)
2. Hatton/Glendale Gardens
3. South of East Chester, approximately 3 blocks east of the railroad tracks (1/4 mile SE of downtown.
4. 500 Block of East Lafayette Street (just East of the Sheriff’s office building)
5. RIFA Garden – behind RIFA on Shannon Street
6. LANA/Lambuth Gardens – across from Cobbel Library

For more information, download the JCG packet.  Also, contact Grady Neely, 731-421-1669; Tharon Kirk, 731-660-4354, cecilkirk@charter.net; or Frank Lawrence, 731-225-0897, frank@eplus.net.

Mayor’s Second Chance Program
Created in 2009 The Mayor’s Second Chance Program is operated by the City of Jackson Neighborhood Services Division.  A public/private partnership, the program links participants with job opportunities in the City of Jackson.  Second Chance for nonviolent offenders makes neighborhoods safer, decrease crime and unemployment, and increase household income and housing values. 

The Mayor’s Second Chance Program works in partnership with the Tennessee Career Center to provide participants with job development, job skills and opportunities/resources to work in collaboration with various program partners in helping to remove barriers to employment. The center also offers computerized labor market information, Internet access, workshops, an on-line talent bank, job placement, recruitment and training. 

Other partners are Workforce Investment/Career Center, Probation and Parole
West Tennessee Legal Services, area churches and employers of Jackson-Madison County.

For more information on how you might participate, download a copy of the program brochure.

Go to Tennessee Career Center website

NeighborFest

 

Neighborhood Associations

The City of Jackson Neighborhood Services office works with and encourages citizens to become active participants in determining the destiny of their neighborhoods. The Neighborhood Relations office works with citizens to organize new and emerging as well as established neighborhood, community and civic organizations.  The office maintains an online database of neighborhood associations, homeowners’ associations and resident associations, and Neighborhood Watch groups.

The Office of Neighborhood Services is available to address inquires by phone,
e-mail or in person regarding questions, problems or requests about neighborhood, community and civic organizations. You can register your organization by completing and returning the Community Registry Database Form.

The office staff regularly facilitates attends and speaks at community meetings in an effort to directly interact with citizens and provides helpful information while collecting inquires on city services for follow up. The staff is also available to aid neighborhoods with seeking out resources to strengthen their communities.

If you would like help organize a neighborhood association in your community or get help with your organization’s goals and special projects, our office can help you.  Click here for a copy of the How to Start A Neighborhood Association brochure.  Contact Neighborhood Services by calling 731-425-8239