Arnold hires part-time code enforcement officer, intends to hire a second

Arnold has hired a part-time code enforcement officer and plans to bring on a second, Councilman George Hawdon said.

Joel Santoro, a former probation officer in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, started in Arnold recently, according to Hawdon.

Arnold’s previous code enforcement officer, Scott Ponteri, had been there three or four years before leaving for another job in early 2021. Staffing of the office had been intermittent at best since then, with four officers coming and going over 10 months. It’s been vacant about two months, Hawdon said.

While wanting to tackle blight, Hawdon said the city’s budget does not have enough money allotted to pay a competitive salary and benefits for a full-time code enforcement officer.

Santoro will start at $17 per hour without benefits, which equates to an annual salary of about $33,000.

Hawdon said they found neighboring municipalities are paying at least $50,000 per year, plus benefits, for full-time officers.

“When I look at what other communities are paying their code officers, we are nowhere near able to do that competitively,” he said.

Hawdon took over public safety from Councilwoman Deborah Vernon when council reorganized in January. He hopes to get money for a full-time officer next year.

“I’m going to see how it works out with part-time,” he said. “I would like to have a full-time officer. The problems that we’re facing here are absolutely monumental. I have 100 blighted houses that we have to get down. We have ongoing struggles with trash in the alleys. It could be a full-time job with a lot of overtime, in all honesty.”

Hawdon said Santoro will work 4 to 6 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and will be available Saturdays by appointment, for calls and to patrol the city.

While Mayor Joe Bia questioned that he would work only six hours per week, Hawdon said those are the hours he is available, and noted the additional work on Saturdays. Santoro said it will be sufficient for writing citations.

With a second part-time officer hired, possibly in March, Hawdon said he expects to have coverage for up to 30 to 40 hours per week.

To combat blight, Hawdon said, Arnold will explore using tools such as conservatorships and condemnations.