ASHLAND — The borough council adopted two ordinances as part of the borough’s participation in the Schuylkill County Land Bank at Wednesday’s meeting.
The borough council approved becoming part of the land bank at the December meeting. The cost to be a member is $1,000 per year. Many municipalities and school districts are also members as part of an effort to reduce blight in the county.
Borough Manager Raymond Jones Jr. said that the first ordinance adopted, titled the “Ashland Borough Neighborhood Blight Reclamation and Revitalization Ordinance,” is required by the land bank for blight. According to the opening summary, the ordinance authorizes “the denial of permits and approvals in accordance with Act No. 90-2010 for serious code violations and to further authorize the recovery of costs and penalties, including attorneys fees for the abatement or prevention of serious code violations by an action in court to the full extent allowed by that Act while preserving all remedies to the recovery, prevention, abatement or restraint of code violations under other statutes and ordinances.”
As explained in the ordinance, in order to address deteriorated properties as nuisances that have an impact on crime, the quality of life of residents and require significant expenditures of public funds to abate and correct, it is appropriate to deny certain governmental permits and approvals in order:
• To prohibit property owners from further extending their financial commitments so as to render themselves unable to abate or correct the code, statutory and regulatory violations or tax delinquencies.
• To reduce the likelihood that this municipality and other municipalities will have to address the owner’s neglect and resulting deteriorated properties.
• To sanction the owners for not adhering to their legal obligations to the Borough of Ashland, as well as to tenants, adjoining property owners and neighborhoods.
The ordinance addresses applications for permits, their denial in appropriate situations, and the ability to appeal denials of permits.
“Basically, we would deny permits for serious code violations,” Jones said.
The ordinance was adopted with a 5-0 vote. Not in attendance was council Vice President Adam J. Bernodin Jr. and Councilwoman Ann Marie Groody.
The second ordinance authorizes the borough to enter into an inter-municipal agreement with the Schuylkill County Land Bank for the cooperation of parties dealing with vacant, abandoned and tax delinquent properties, and the acquisition, cleanup and sale of such properties, as well as addressing the costs associated with such action, as well as the forgiveness of taxes and other indebtedness.
“Our solicitor (James Diehl) just felt that we should do that to join the land bank so we had it on record,” Jones said.
The agreement ordinance was also adopted unanimously.
In other business, the council hired Daniel Weikel III as a full-time patrolman with a 5-0 vote on a motion by Thomas Joyce, seconded by Francis Menne. Weikel had been working as a part-time borough patrolman. The hiring brings the police department to two full-time officers, the other being Chief Mark O’Hearn. Weikel was hired at an annual salary of $35,625.
“The General Government Committee did interviews about two weeks ago,” Jones said.
The borough council approved a resolution designating Jones as the disaster assistance agent for the borough in applying for state aid from the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency for any snow assistance costs reimbursement claims due to Winter Storm Jonas in January.
The inspection and maintenance of the borough’s two traffic lights will be done by C.M. High Inc., Myerstown. The borough council awarded the annual maintenance contract, which retains the company for the work. The contact rate is $800 for two inspections per year (spring and fall), plus labor if any work has to be done. The company is an electrical contractor with a traffic division that is a state Department of Transportation-certified installer and maintenance provider of highway lighting and traffic signals.
The council also approved a request from Ashland Community Enterprises to hold the annual Pioneer Day event on Aug. 20 at Higher Up Park.
Another approval by the borough council was given for payment to the law firm of Saul Ewing LLP for outside legal counsel involving the ongoing negotiations between the borough and the state for the lease on borough hall, which is owned by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
Jones said the legal counsel cost for this billing period is $1,570, which will be divided equally between the borough and the Ashland Area Municipal Authority.
At the request of the Veterans of Foreign Wars O’Donnell-Martin-Baldino Post 7654. Ashland, the borough council approved the Memorial Day parade and program on at 11 a.m. May 30. The parade will move east on Centre Street, turn left onto Hoffman Boulevard for the program at the Mother’s Memorial.
In correspondence, Jones said U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-17, contacted the borough about holding a town hall meeting in the borough in the future. The borough council approved the request, but no date has been set.