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"Ombudsman" is a Swedish term meaning "defender of citizen's rights". The first public-sector ombudsman’s office in the US was established in 1967. Since then, state and local governments often include an ombudsman on their staff.
Ombudsman positions specializing in specific fields have been created at the department level, such as our Ombudsman position which addresses land use and permitting issues.
The demand for these services has risen steadily since the inception of this position in 2003. More than a thousand citizens have visited the ombudsman's office since then. More than 700 land use applications have been completed with the ombudsman's assistance. These applications include variances, rezonings, special uses, subdivisions, conditional uses, determinations of non-conformity, administrative waivers, vacating petitions and appeals. Numerous code enforcement cases and citizens complaints have also been resolved.
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