Municipal News
- Last Updated on Friday, 28 April 2017 00:34
By Miranda Startare
A Carroll Township resident in attendance at the April 4 Supervisors’ Meeting discussed the issue of blighted properties and property violations in the township and described a program that one community has developed to combat the issue.
Alex Ferguson addressed the Board saying, “I would never criticize a public official. I know you guys have done a great job on a lot of things.” Mr. Ferguson explained an article he read about a Quality of Life Program enacted in September 2012 in the town of Pottsville, PA that empowers city officials to issue tickets for code enforcement violations, with each violation being a separate offense with a ticket and fee. The program allows officials to immediately respond to code violations while avoiding the courts.
Although solutions to blighted properties and property code violations have been sought over the years, the “practicality is these people don’t have money to fix up their property,” according to Solicitor Herman Bigi.
The Board thanked Mr. Ferguson and agreed that blighted property is a problem everywhere, particularly absentee landlords.
In other business, the Supervisors approved a two-year contract extension with Waste Management. The Board reminded residents that the trash collector will collect paint and other chemicals if residents call them and ask for the items to be collected.
