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EP sets hearing for vacant property law

EAST PALESTINE– The village planning commission reported to council that the vacant structure registration and maintenance code has been laid out, so council set a date for a public hearing for the ordinance at this week’s meeting.

The public hearing for the proposed vacant property ordinance has been set for 7 p.m., Nov. 12.

The next step is for council to hire a building and zoning inspector. Acting mayor Alan Cohen said that if the ordinance passes, it is meaningless without an inspector.

Cohen inserted a clause in the ordinance that, if it passes, it would not take effect until the hiring of a building and zoning inspector. He said it would be nice to have someone in place at the beginning of the year, rather than waiting until the beginning of the year to start a search for one.

Council stated that the wage of the position would have to be discussed before advertising the position. Finance director Traci Spratt proposed 20 hours per week at $15 per hour.

Councilman D.J. Yokley pointed out that the previous building and zoning inspector was able to do his job, but they weren’t able to knock down any buildings.

“Presuming this ordinance does pass, what position are they going to be in that our previous one was not?” Yokley said. “We still don’t have any money to tear down these buildings or to do anything with them, and now we want to pay significantly more to do that job. How does that help our situation?”

Yokley asked council why they would increase the pay from less than $5,000 to more than $16,000 if the inspector would be doing the same job.

Village Manager Mark McTrustry said that the job of an inspector has fallen onto the police department, which has pulled patrolmen off the street, restricting them from their regular duty.

Council decided that even if the ordinance does not pass, there is still enough money and responsibility for a building and zoning inspector.

slendak@mojonews.com

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