SHARON

City to extend blight fight

Sharon City Council is considering hiring another code officer to keep the pressure on landowners to keep their properties up to code.

Mayor Robert T. Price said Frank Smeraglia, city zoning and code officer, is doing a great job but the workload is just too much for one person. Council Thursday passed a first reading of a bill that would add a code officer to assist Smeraglia.

The city currently employs June Gulla as the health officer. Price said she is licensed by the state to hold that position. Essentially there would be three people to enforce city codes if the motion passes.

"Let’s keep the pressure on," Councilman Lou Rotunno said of the city’s crackdown on blighted properties.

City Finance Director Michael Gasparich said the money for the new position would come from money set aside from a floater position that was never filled. He said the salary will be about $18,000. It will probably take about two months to fill the position, Gasparich said.

Carol Swartz, a resident of Sharon’s West Hill, thanked council for making the move to hire another code officer. She asked if the city could begin targeting not only houses with unsound infrastructures but also deteriorating aesthetic appeal such as peeling paint. Mrs. Swartz said she had her home appraised and the value was extremely low because of the location of the house.

Council president Fred Hoffman said it will be easier to begin tackling more problems with more help in the code department.

Over the past two months council members passed an ordinance that will send code violators past the zoning code board of appeals process and straight to a District Justice. They also increased fines for code violators.