MERCER COUNTY Sharon resident raises questions about cleaning up neighborhoods

The mayor said some people just refuse to clean up their property.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
SHARON, Pa. -- A West Hill resident took the city to task for failing to clean up trash and other debris that she said causes problems for homeowners.
Carol Swartz of Lorain Street, a longtime visitor to city council meetings and a recent member of the city's Civil Service Commission, questioned city council Wednesday about the condition of some residential neighborhoods, including her own.
She said council was taking time worrying about a possible consolidation with the city of Farrell when it should be dealing with more important issues, such as cleaning up the town.
Council President Fred Hoffman pointed out that council can only make the laws. It's up to the mayor and his administrative staff to see that they are enforced, he said.
Swartz suggested council write some tougher code enforcement laws to help force people to clean up their properties.
Atty. William Madden, city solicitor, told Swartz that council did streamline the enforcement process a couple of years go by eliminating the code appeals board, a bureaucratic step that slowed down the city's cleanup efforts.
Now, the city code officer can cite violators directly to the local magistrate's office without worrying about a appeal before an appeals board, Madden said.
Mayor David O. Ryan said there are certain people who won't comply with cleanup orders, no matter what the city does.
Here's the problem
Every month, there are 350-400 people who fail to pay their garbage bill and Tri-County Industries, the city's residential garbage contractor, won't pick up their garbage as a result, Ryan said.
In the case of renters, the city tries to hold the landlords ultimately responsible for getting garbage cleaned up, but it's not always easy to track down landlords either, he said.
Ryan said he sometimes sends a city crew to clean up the mess but it isn't right to have the citizens of Sharon picking up that cost.
The city probably issues about 2,000 citations a year to code offenders, he said.
Swartz said she has a beautiful home that is on the market but it is difficult to sell because there are junk cars in a yard across the street and some other rundown properties where debris is piling up.
Ryan said he will do what he can to help clean up the area.