Several West Penn Township residents are opposed to a new property code that's up for consideration.

Township engineer Bill Anders attempted to address any misconceptions associated with the International Property Maintenance Code at Monday morning's board of supervisors meeting."It's to help properties that potentially have a chance to fall into blighted property," Anders said. "The International Property Maintenance Code will help curtail that."Supervisor Tony Prudenti said he had a lot of people call him with complaints over property issues.Board Chairman Jim Dean said the township's current ordinance is "antiquated."However, Supervisor Ted Bogosh said he's concerned about the IPMC being too stringent.But Anders said the IPMC "comes into play with properties that are on their way to being blighted properties."Prudenti said the IPMC is meant to deal with people who do not address or correct property issues.However, resident and former township Supervisor Timothy Houser said he wasn't sold on the IPMC."You are trying to develop ordinances to fit suburbia," Houser said. "You're trying to fit a square peg into a round hole."Houser added that he hopes to see the township stay rural as long as it can."I am adamantly opposed to the International Property Maintenance Code," he said.Houser acknowledged that while there are blighted properties noticeable throughout the township, he believes some teeth should be added to the township's current property maintenance code.Resident Bill Varano said he, too, is more comfortable with the current property maintenance code."I like better to stay with what you have," Varano said. "I'm in favor of refining what we already have."Prudenti said the IPMC is "basically no different then the ordinance we have right now."Supervisors have discussed updating the township's property maintenance code for some time.Prudenti previously said that he was the one who pushed for the IPMC after receiving multiple complaints over property issues.He said at that time the IPMC would be a more efficient way to try to speed up cleaning up the township.However, Bogosh questioned how the IPMC would expedite the process.Dean said the township's current ordinance was put into play in 1997, and that while it has its good points, it needs to be improved.The new version would change the word "shall" to the word "may," and would change the offense from a summary to a criminal charge, Anders said.Anders said the code would help support and bring some clarity to its current ordinance, and that he believes the changes are adequate and satisfy all the concerns of township residents.Bogosh, who had recently served on the planning commission, said the code was considered by the township's planning commission, and members either rejected it or selected various portions of it.Anders recommended adopting the code, saying it helps keep blight out of communities.Anders said the code is a way for the township to be proactive, and that his experience with it has been successful.