It’s been eleven years since a state law was created to help municipalities target blighted property owners who owe taxes and other bills, in part, because of a costly situation in Jeannette.
City officials are planning to tap into the law’s powers.
Solicitor Tim Witt has a draft ordinance prepared implementing Act 90, the Neighborhood Blight Reclamation and Revitalization Act of 2010, in the city that could be up for an initial vote during December’s council meeting. Witt said the law allows the city to go after the personal assets of a dilapidated property’s owner for costs incurred for remediation, such as boarding up windows or cutting grass.
“That kind of expands the opportunity to seek payment to get reimbursed for any abatement action,” Witt said.
The law also allows municipalities to refuse permits for property owners with delinquent taxes or unpaid utility bills and who haven’t made any improvements at their building in a certain time period, he said.
“It’s a great tool especially in conjunction with landlord registration licenses,” he said.
An ordinance allowing the city to refuse a permit for a property owner who owed back taxes is exactly what landed Jeannette in hot water in 2005. Then, two properties owned by late businessman Frank Trigona were affected when city officials said he owed thousands, prompting a lengthy legal battle.
The ordinance later was deemed unconstitutional by a Westmoreland County judge. Jeannette was ordered in 2013 to pay more than $272,000 in damages and legal fees to Trigona and his attorney. Trigona died in 2015.
But by then, municipalities across the state, including Connellsville and Kittanning, had already signed on to implement Act 90 locally. The situation in Jeannette was an example legislators used at the time to justify why municipalities needed certain powers, Witt said.