Blight: Where will the money come from to fight it?
State and local officials from both major political parties on Thursday tackled the issue of removing a scourge from local cities, boroughs, suburbs and rural areas.
State Rep. Tim O’Neal, R-South Strabane, convened a roundtable discussion in the Canonsburg Borough building to formulate plans of attack on blight.
And while there were some concrete ideas about inventorying blighted properties as a first step in grasping the scope of the problem – plus incentives to recognize those who keep their property ship-shape – the issue came down to how to pay for a fix.
Introducing the topic, first-term legislator O’Neal noted the July 12, 2017, collapse of 15 N. Main St. in the Washington central business district, part of his district. The owners had been cited for a building code violation, and the massive cost of demolishing the building was one of the factors that led to a tax increase for city property owners the following year.
But O’Neal at the same time identified himself as a “huge proponent” of a private owner’s property rights.
Dennis Davin, secretary of the state Department of Community and Economic Development, presented as one solution to fight blight through land banks as part of Gov. Tom Wolf’s “Restore Pennsylvania” plan to fund not only blight reduction but also expanded internet broadband access, flood prevention and road repairs through a severance tax on natural gas extraction that would raise $4.5 billion.
State Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R-Carroll, at the wide-ranging, two-hour discussion, had a different option: lift the governor’s moratorium on drilling beneath state parks and forests, which she said would produce $1 billion in bonuses.
In an interview after the discussion, Davin said it was hard for him to address this in his role as DCED secretary because the responsibility for this matter lies with the governor, the Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
But lifting the moratorium raised constitutional issues and questions about using funds from public lands for allocations outside the lands themselves, Davin continued.
“That particular potential of a billion dollars for additional drilling by gas companies, we don’t think that solves the overall problem,” Davin said.
He made much of the fact that Pennsylvania is second only to Texas in U.S. production of natural gas, but that Texas collects nearly 700 percent more revenue from its natural gas severance tax than Pennsylvania receives from its impact fee.
Aside from the funding issue, Davin said every community needs to capitalize on what makes it unique, giving people a reason to both stay there and visit.
Broadband access means people don’t necessarily have to live near their workplace, but a community needs to offer both safety and attractiveness.
William McGowen, executive director of the Washington County Redevelopment Authority, said his agency has participated in removing 124 blighted structures countywide in the past five years.
Among its sources of funding are federal and state money, and the Local Share Account from gaming at The Meadows Racetrack and Casino.
There has not been, however, a countywide inventory of blighted buildings, and developing an inventory is a first step in measuring the scope of the problem of blight.
Three years ago, Washington County created a land bank to make it easier to return blighted, vacant, abandoned and tax-delinquent properties to productive use, with the aim of stabilizing housing and job markets while staving off community deterioration.
Canonsburg Councilman Eric Chandler said the borough was able to identify 27 blighted properties within its borders, two of which have been condemned.
Washington Mayor Scott Putnam suggested recruiting high school students to inventory properties, “feed ’em doughnuts and pizza,” before and after they tour neighborhoods and place structures into categories to identify those that require attention. Commissioner Harlan Shober also favored a local approach.
Canonsburg businesswoman Michelle Bruce questioned the panel about the role of internet property sales among absentee landlords.
Davin compared it with “online gambling,” in which buyers hope to strike it rich by buying cheap properties in areas that will become trendy, such as has happened in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville and East Liberty neighborhoods.
Washington County Commissioner Diana Irey Vaughan said renters often have as much trouble contacting absentee landlords as officials do, and asked if “creative” legislation could allow tenants to purchase property from non-responsive landlords.
“What would that even look like?” O’Neal responded.
“I’m thinking of a tax incentive,” Irey Vaughan replied.
Incentives not involving taxes also surfaced during a question-and-answer session.
“I’ve been working on this for four years,” said East Washington Mayor Michael Gomber, who has given out 176 awards for beautiful homes and yards.
Residents must meet all codes and ordinances, keep their yards mowed and maintain landscaping.
“I went door to door and gave certificates out,” said Gomber, who plans to expand the incentive to beautify the borough to the holiday season.