West Penn Township officials are on opposite sides of the fence about updating the township property maintenance code.

A modified version of the International Property Maintenance Code is on the docket to be reviewed when the township's board of supervisors meets at 9 a.m. Monday.The code was a topic of discussion at last week's supervisors meeting, with one resident taking the board to task after saying he reviewed the ordinance and took exception to it.Supervisor Ted Bogosh said the code was considered by the township's planning commission, and members either rejected it or selected various portions of it."I believe it is not suitable for West Penn," Bogosh said in a letter sent to the Times News. "My fellow supervisors chose to have our zoning officer, a supporter of the International Property Maintenance Code, adjust the International Property Maintenance Code to West Penn Township."Further, Bogosh added that the matter will be reviewed by the supervisors, and not be sent to the planning commission."Our zoning officer has been very fair enforcing zoning and has worked with citizens to correct violations," he said. "He assures me he wouldn't use the International Property Maintenance Code to force the sale of homes, however it is my understanding the International Property Maintenance Code makes it possible to arrest citizens, make them a felon, lose their right to own firearms, lose their right to vote, lose their job, have their property condemned and sold at a public sale where a developer or water harvester could buy it."After looking it over, Bogosh said he isn't in favor of the International Property Maintenance Code."I didn't like it at all," he said. "The majority of people I've spoken to want us to update the code that we have, rather than adopt the International Property Maintenance Code."Bogosh, who had recently served on the township's planning commission, noted that he wasn't reappointed to that post at the township's reorganization meeting held last week."The other two supervisors decided not to reappoint me to the planning commission," he said. "I was more than willing, however, I don't seem to fit with their agenda."However, Supervisor Tony Prudenti sees the code in an entirely different light.Prudenti last week said he pushed for the code after receiving multiple complaints over property issues."Until we see the draft from the engineering firm, no one really knows what's in it at this point," Prudenti said. "How can you make a comment on a draft that you haven't even seen a copy of yet?"Board Chairman Jim Dean confirmed that there will be discussion on the code at Monday's meeting."It's about finding the things that we need to enhance our township to make sure properties are maintained and taken care of so we do not have blight in our township, and we are going to review those things and talk about them on Monday morning," Dean said. "We have made no decisions on anything yet; hopefully the three supervisors are coming in there with an open mind."Township engineer Bill Anders said at last week's meeting that the code is a way for the township to be proactive, and that his experience with the code has been very successful to date.