California Council seeking local code officer
CALIFORNIA — After a year of having an outside agency handle borough zoning and code enforcement issues, California Borough Council is now looking for someone to handle those tasks in-house.
HMT and Associates or another outside firm will continue to handle building inspections, but other matters would be handled by a full-time borough employee under the motion adopted at the August council meeting last week. Council said the goal is to make the office more user-friendly. Currently, HMT only has someone in the borough a few days a week.
Council also discussed implementing an amusement tax that could be imposed on events held at the new convocation center being constructed at California University of Pennsylvania among other events, but took no action on the matter. Councilwoman Shelly Roberts said the tax would be a way of generating income without hurting the local residents, and it would provide funds needed to expand the police department.
“Once the convocation center opens, I think our police department will be overwhelmed,” Roberts said.
Solicitor Ernest DeHaas noted that the state law allowing an amusement tax does not define “amusement,” so it would be up to the borough to decide which events fit the category.
“I think it warrants further discussion and we should talk to municipalities that have it,” said Council President Sheila Chambers.
“We have a sample from Menallen Township and I don’t see Menallen as the most entertaining community in our area,” said Councilman Anthony Mariscotti.
Mariscotti suggested checking with a town such as Washington, which also deals with issues related to having a college in the community and Roberts suggested towns such as Westchester or Indiana, which host state universities like Cal U.
Borough engineer Art Brower of Fayette Engineering reported that the Malden/Granville sewerage project is nearly complete, with work being done on the Malden extension of the project and work on Knob Road to follow.
“They should be done within the next three weeks,” Brower said.
It was also reported that the downtown streetscape project most likely won’t be done until next year.
Councilman Jon Bittner said Mackin Engineering was the successful bidder for the design work for trees, sidewalks, lighting and underground conduits for two blocks of Third Street from Union to the end of town, but the plan is now subject to a review by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, since Third Street is a state road.