Lansford Borough Council’s Code and Zoning Committee asked ARRO Consulting to attend a recent meeting.

Councilman Jack Soberick, who chairs the committee, asked Ray Swartz of the firm to explain the process for citing and posting properties, as some people believe, though, there is little or no action after the initial complaint.

After receiving a complaint, Swartz goes out to investigate, takes photos and begins building a case, he said. He begins a notice of violation, checks with the county parcel locator for an owner, and sends it out in both first class and certified mail, he said.

“I have to wait for the green card on the certified to come back to me before I can take any action,” Swartz said. “If it’s grass or garbage, you give them a week, two weeks tops, and that time clock doesn’t start until I get that certified back.”

He explained it can take a month for the return on the certified mail to come, and for the week to two week clock to start before a citation is filed, Swartz said.

Soberick again said that it might be good to coordinate with police, because they can issue a quality of life violation immediately.

Soberick also wanted council to consider hiring an outside company to cut down high grass and weeds on properties where the owner has failed to do so.

“We’re already a month behind, or a month and a half, on doing that,” Soberick said.

Resident Tom Vadyak questioned Swartz on the status of 331 W. Water St., which was condemned, but when he submitted a Right to Know request asking about the violation and was told there were none.

Swartz said the property is indeed condemned, and he’s filing citations on the property.

Among the problems that Swartz said he’s encountering with condemnations and properties with outstanding violations are bad addresses for the owner or the property owner is deceased, he said.

Swartz pointed to a list of 30 or more properties, where this is an issue, he said.

“90% of the addresses I have come back to me vacant or undeliverable, or can’t be forwarded, and that’s the struggle that I’m having,” Swartz said, adding he didn’t know what the solution was.

Councilman Jack Soberick, committee chair, suggested that he talk to the police department and possibly coordinate efforts, as the borough used to subscribe for the CLEAR program, which allowed them to track down people going through bad addresses and also finding email addresses, he said.

The program could help them find some of these people, Soberick said, if it’s still in use by the police department.