Jeannette proposes complete tax exoneration for 2 Clay Avenue properties

Jeannette officials exonerated property taxes on two Clay Avenue properties, one of which was damaged in a fire in 2020, and are hoping two other governing bodies will follow suit.

The owner of the neighboring parcels near the intersection of South Fifth Street — Minh Truong — is donating them to Jeannette, solicitor Tim Witt said. Council approved the exoneration unanimously last week and is requesting the same from Jeannette City School District and Westmoreland County.

“The city’s not paying anything for those properties at all,” Witt said.

A two-story building on one of the properties caught fire Nov. 6, 2020. The blaze started on the first floor, but investigators were not able to determine what sparked it because of a partial building collapse. The building housed the business Computer Clinic and an apartment on the second floor. A large amount of electronic equipment was on the first floor.

The fire left serious code issues, Witt said. The building has since been boarded up.

The other property is an empty lot. Property taxes have been delinquent on both parcels since 2010, totaling $37,400, according to the county’s tax office.

An application was made with the county last year requesting funding to demolish the damaged building in the city’s downtown where there has been interest in renovating other properties and new businesses setting up shop.

That goal is made simpler by assuming ownership, Witt said.

“We think the funding is out there, but it’s always easier when we have site control,” he said. “It’s a real good thing for the city.”