West Penn Township officials continue to go back and forth on the township's property maintenance code.

The township's board of supervisors revisited the matter once again at its meeting Monday morning.Supervisor Ted Bogosh suggested the township use its current ordinance and put teeth in it.Board Chairman Jim Dean added, "I think ours need teeth.""There are people that are very concerned with their property value," Dean said.Supervisor Tony Prudenti suggested the board look to take things from the township's property code and add things from the proposed International Property Maintenance Code.He then suggested calling it the West Penn Township Property Maintenance Ordinance.Dean said he would like to see the issue get resolved shortly."We have been talking about this for months and months and months," Dean said.It was decided that a revised ordinance will be presented to the board.In the meantime, board solicitor Holly Heintzelman is working on several enforcement provisions that can be added to the current property maintenance ordinance to allow for a more timely enforcement.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 International Property Maintenance Code after receiving multiple complaints over property issues.He said at that time it would be a more efficient way to clean up the township.However, Bogosh questioned how exactly it 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, township engineer Bill Anders previously 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, is a way for the township to be proactive and that his experience with it has been successful.