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Mayor talks tough on housing violations
YOUNGSTOWN
Enforcing the city’s housing code is a top — if not the top — priority for Mayor Charles Sammarone.
Since becoming mayor Aug. 1, Sammarone said wherever he goes, he hears complaints about housing code enforcement, and he agrees.
“I’ve been in city government for 28 years, and for 28 years, our code enforcement hasn’t been good,” Sammarone said Monday at a city council housing, community and economic development committee meeting.
That’s going to change very soon, he said.
Sammarone wants to put Maureen O’Neil, the city’s rental property registration administrator, in charge of a new program to focus on housing code enforcement.
O’Neil envisions four full-time inspectors checking houses for code violations.
City council would have to approve the appointment of O’Neil, who in her current job is an independent contractor, and the implementation of the program. Sammarone asked that council decide Wednesday, but it might have to wait a few weeks as the program’s details are ironed out.
The proper legislation for housing code laws are in place; they’re just not being implemented, Sammarone and O’Neil said.
Some houses are initially cited for code violations, but there is next to no follow-up, they said.
Under the proposal, inspections would be done — initially it would be at some of the properties in the worst condition — and there would be time for most owners to address the problems.
If nothing is done, fines would be implemented. The first penalty is $100, then $500 for the second and $1,000 for the third. These would be administrative fines issued by inspectors that wouldn’t require violators to be in court.
The city would ask local foundations to provide money to help the poor and elderly who can’t afford to make improvement to their houses to get them up to code, O’Neil said.
While there are some serious problems with houses, most of the issues are minor like downspouts falling off of structures and chipped paint, Sammarone said.
Some neighborhood-group officials at Monday’s meeting said the plan sounds great, but it also is overwhelming.
“It is overwhelming,” responded O’Neil, who added that it can be done.
Jim Pirko, a commercial, industrial and investment property and economic development specialist for Howard Hanna and secretary/coordinator of the Mahoning Valley Real Estate Investors Association, said a focus on code enforcement “is an encouraging step.”
Code enforcement “is desperately needed,” Pirko said. “If the city steps up and resolves the blight problem, it will be important to homeowners and investors.”
Councilman Mike Ray, D-4th, the housing, community and economic development committee chairman, said, “We’re heading in the right direction.”