jusalis@republicanherald.com
FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — Owners of rental properties in Butler Township are now required to obtain occupancy permits before renting to tenants following action by the board of supervisors at Tuesday’s meeting.
The supervisors formally adopted the rental property ordinance (2016-1) and a related resolution setting fees in a 3-0 vote. The ordinance is similar to the one formally adopted by the Girardville Borough Council earlier this month.
“At our last meeting, we discussed a landlord ordinance that requires the owner of rental properties in the township to apply to the township secretary for a rental occupancy permit,” township Chairman David Kessler said. “That allows for an inspection of a rental property before getting the occupancy permit prior to renting the property.”
Kessler read the ordinance summary and said, “This not only protects the township, but also the people and gives us an opportunity to be proactive instead of reactive.”
According to the ordinance, within 30 days, the owner of each rental unit needs to apply to the township secretary for a rental occupancy permit.
On the application form, the owner has to list the names of all prospective tenants. The rental unit also will be inspected, and if the code enforcement officer determines that the rental unit are in compliance with all applicable codes, the officer/designee will issue a rental occupancy permit to the owner. The permit will be valid for a period of two years from the date of issuance.
If the rental unit is determined not to be in compliance with all applicable codes, the owner will be issued a certificate of noncompliance. The owner will have a set time to correct the problem. The code enforcement officer may declare any violations to constitute an emergency condition and require immediate action if the violations are serious enough to constitute a danger to the public health.
The application fee for the permit is $10 per unit. The inspection cost is $75 for the first rental unit in a building. Additional units in an apartment building will be $75 or less depending on the number of units.
All fees are to be paid prior to inspection and at the time of registering rental units.
Kessler called for a vote of the ordinance and an accompanying resolution that sets the fees.
In other business, four bids were received for engineering and design services on a proposed project to rehabilitate Wildcat Road near Girardville. The project includes paving and improving drainage.
Four bid packages were received and opened, with KPI Technology, Elysburg, offering the low bid of $7,200. All bids were tabled for review by township solicitor Christopher Riedlinger. Township secretary Kate Staudenmeier recommended that since there was an error in the advertisement soliciting bids and causing a delay of one month, a special meeting be held to approve the accepted bid in order not to delay the project. Kessler said a special meeting is a possibility, though no date was set.
The supervisors approved a request from the Friendship Fire Company in Englewood to hold its annual block party from May 26 to 30 at the firehouse, Seventh and Pine streets near Frackville, and to close Seventh and Spring streets near the fire company.
A request for a $100 donation from the Frackville fireworks program committee was approved by the supervisors, as was another $100 donation to the Schuylkill County Veterans Trip Organization for the annual bus trip to Washington, D.C.