Canonsburg Council Discusses Blight, Rental Inspection

Much of the discussion at Canonsburg Council's agenda meeting Monday night was devoted to an issue long touted as one of the most pressing in the borough: Blight.

Specifically: Council is considering mandating annual inspections for rental properties.

"Like most legislation, it's meant for 2 percent of the people—the landlords who don't comply with safety and other regulations," Council President Joe Milioto said Monday.

Code Enforcement Officers John Elzer and Sam DiTullio, who also attended the meeting, stressed the state's Neighborhood Blight Revitalization and Reclamation Act would allow the borough to refuse property sales within the borough to landlords who are delinquent on garbage or sewage bills, or who have properties that aren't up to code.

That discussion came after council welcomed its newest member: former county commissioner John Bevec, who was sworn in by Mayor David H Rhome. Bevec replaces Mike Kazmarski as a first ward representative.

In other business, several residents from the Alpine Drive-Woodland Road area presented a petition to council requesting road resurfacing.

The petition was accompanied by photographs and pieces of broken pavement—work the borough engineer said would cost about $91,000 to repair.

Milioto turned the request over to the finance, public works, public safety and engineering committees for futher discussion.

Council also received a policy form for erecting lawn displays on public property—.

The policy, drafted at council's request by solicitor Pat Derrico and Hazlett, requires any organization that wants to erect a display to pay a $25, returnable fee with an attached photo or description of the display with the application.

Applications must be submitted 30 days prior to the date the display will be erected. The displays are permitted on the property for 60 consecutive days.

Council is poised to approve the policy—which garnered no public discussion Monday night—at its voting meeting next week.