West Mifflin Council addresses code violations

Staff hours may be changed to allow easier communication with borough residents.

Several members of West Mifflin Borough Council brought up concerns about dilapidated properties in the area during Tuesday’s meeting.

Councilman Anthony Topolnak said he has been driving through the borough and has found several properties in poor condition.

He also asked if there is any way the borough could expedite the process of getting these houses fixed.

“I went onto St. Agnes Lane,” Topolnak said. “There were at least three houses. The weeds were overgrown. I don’t even know if they were occupied or not.”

Code enforcement officer Walter Anthony said the usual process is sending a notice of violation. If the property owners fail to act, they go to the magistrate’s office for hearings. He added that the interim on that may be two months.

“Unfortunately, when we run into the properties where the owners are dead, we did have public works go in and try to knock stuff down,” Anthony said. “Sometimes that’s overwhelming, and depending on the ability of our men to take care of that.”

Mayor Chris Kelly said he has submitted a proposal several times to change some of the hours for staff in the code enforcement department to better suit the public.

According to Kelly, staff has been tripled in the code office, but they had 161 calls in the last month, which is about eight calls a day.

“That’s not a lot,” Kelly said. “You send a letter out, and one family in the borough has been asking since April for some help. Adjust the hours and let them get out of their car and knock on the door when people come home.”

Kelly would like to see an easier and more proactive way to get in touch with people so they can maintain their properties.

People often ignore violation notices that are sent to their homes, according to Anthony, who added that he agrees with Kelly and will work with his staff to try to change hours.

The borough sends regular and certified mail to get people’s attention as well. Solicitor Phil DiLucente said the mailed notifications are just like the ones people may get from the magistrate.

“If they reject it, certified mail, depending on the carrier, they will send it back,” Di-Lucente said. “You received this, you just don’t want to acknowledge it because you know what it is.”

Anthony said it can be difficult when the owners of a home have passed away, and that’s how they determine demolition lists. That’s when they sometimes send public works onto these properties.

Kelly argued that code enforcement should be getting in touch with these people directly when there are issues with property owners that are pressing for answers and for those not responding to letters.

“I don’t understand why we can’t be more proactive,” Kelly said. “Let’s be more proactive and let’s be more friendly to the residents. If they are there, and they are working, then they can tell them what the issue is.”

In other business:

• Act 152 funding for demolitions through the county is available, and the borough is applying for funding for several demolitions in 2026.

• Council approved a volunteer service credit program that offers tax credits for volunteer fire companies. They also passed a similar motion extending tax credits to volunteer firefighters.

• The Red Mountain Group made renovations to the shopping center formerly known as Century Plaza, located at 2365 Mountain View Drive. The plaza will be renamed the Marketplace with a celebration set for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 4 with a car show, food trucks, music, kids’ games and more.