Donora eyes new approach to code violations

By KRISTIE LINDEN

klinden@yourmvi.com

The Borough of Donora, like the majority of Mon Valley communities, wants to find new ways to target blight and property maintenance and clean up the town.

After seeing a webinar on the subject through the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs, Administrator Terri Petroske said she and code enforcement officer Michele Harris talked about enacting a new ticketing ordinance.

“A lot of municipalities are starting to use this,” Petroske said. 

The standard operating procedure for code violations has been to send a notice of violation letter. That letter gives the violator a certain number of days to address the issue.

At the end of that timeframe, if the person doesn’t rectify the situation, Harris would send a citation to the magisterial district justice. 

Solicitor Steve Toprani said once it reaches the magistrate, hearings have to be scheduled, which takes more time. Eventually, Toprani said, a magistrate could agree to close the case if fines are paid, regardless of whether the original code violation was ever fixed.

“This will allow the borough to move a lot more quickly,” he said. “This really gives code (enforcement) the power for the first time” because Harris will be able to ticket violators directly rather than be stuck to the confines of letter writing.

If a person violates the code — with tall grass, or broken windows, owning a dilapidated structure or the like — Harris will still send the introductory letter, offering notice of the violations.

The property owner will be given a set number of days to resolve the violations, as usual. If it’s not completed in time, Harris will issue a ticket that will operate much like a parking ticket.

It will cost the violator $50, which will be paid directly to the borough, and they will be given five more days to fix the problem.

After the end of those five days, if the issues haven’t been resolved, Harris will give the violators a citation that will be sent to the magistrate. 

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