Jul 22, 2015 3 min read

North Strabane Township is hoping to establish a new ordinance to tackle property nuisances and blighted structures in one fell swoop.

The planning commission this week discussed a proposal to “marry” the two issues in one ordinance to better address dilapidated buildings, as well as other nuisances such as abandoned vehicles, weeds and unsafe structures. Building inspector Doug Trbovich said the township has not responded to any major violations recently, but officials are “preparing for the future.”

Solicitor Gary Sweat said the changes would bring the township in line with a state statute called the Neighborhood Blight and Revitalization Act, which was “recently amended to give townships more teeth to pursue the abatement of nuisances,” Sweat said.

Prior to the recent changes, a lien filed against a property would result in a refund to the municipality only if the property was sold, refinanced or mortgaged, Sweat explained during a board of supervisors meeting Tuesday. However, the lien would be extinguished if the property went to a tax sale, and the township would not be compensated.

Now, the amendment makes it a personal judgment as well as a property judgment, meaning the township can go after property owners’ assets, including bank accounts and other properties they own.

Under the new amendment, municipalities can work with the district attorney’s office to extradite out-of-state property owners and charge them with a criminal offense.

“A lot of what we’re seeing right now is people are buying properties on the Internet – they live in Texas, Oklahoma,” Sweat said. “This statute now makes it a misdemeanor second-degree to ignore these judgment liens.”

That’s the case for East Washington Borough, which has received several complaints about an abandoned house at 19 Thayer Street. The property owner lives in Florida and has failed to pay taxes and address numerous citations, said council President Guy Tucci.

The property was discussed at a recent borough meeting, but council members decided not to take action. Tucci referenced court challenges and property appeals filed in Washington.

“We’re afraid about that,” he said. “It’s really a difficult problem, and it actually is a difficult problem in the entire county, and particularly the city of Washington.”

Tucci said he was not aware of the recent amendment to the Neighborhood Blight and Revitalization Act, but he said he would discuss it with solicitor Dennis Makel.

Meanwhile, Washington is planning to demolish a property at 96 North Main St., which was once the office of attorney John Pettit. The property was acquired by the city, and the lien has been exonerated on that property, according to Mayor Brenda Davis.

The demolition contract will be awarded Aug. 5. Davis said the city hopes to sell the land to a developer, and a few have already expressed interest.

“I think that once they see that the demolition is actually occurring, and it is truly revitalization occurring, I think it’s going to spark interest for a lot of folks,” she said.