Published: July 18, 2008 01:09 am      

Westernport mayor not happy with code enforcement co-op

Morris says he doesn't think town is getting weekly visits it's due from inspector

WESTERNPORT — The town of Westernport is not happy with sharing a code enforcement officer with three other municipalities and plans to pull out of the agreement that has been in place since December.

“The current situation has not been the best,” Mayor Amel Morris said of the plan where Westernport, Luke, Lonaconing and Frostburg joined together to hire Megco Inspections Inc. to provide a code enforcement officer for each town.

The officer was to spend a set amount of time in each town, cruising the neighborhoods looking for property maintenance issues such as unsafe buildings, junked tires and vehicles, and high grass.

Any issues found to be a problem would be addressed according to the municipalities’ ordinances.

Originally, the schedule placed the inspector in Frostburg, the largest of the cities, twice a week, while Westernport and Lonaconing would get once-a-week visits.

The smallest town, Luke, was to get at least a once-a-month visit.

Monday, Morris said the inspector was to have been in Westernport every Tuesday but he does not believe that has been the case.

Although Westernport has been a part of the cooperative since Dec. 21, blighted properties have continued to deteriorate, and properties such as one on Rock Street, which was torn down months ago, remain rubble heaps.

“It is my belief that this program is not benefiting the town of Westernport,” Morris said.

The mayor said he feels the town police department could take on the responsibility of enforcing the town’s housing codes with better results.

“There’s nothing in the contract that says we can’t take these services over,” he said, noting that the one-year contract will be over in December anyway.

Frostburg City Administrator John Kirby, who took the lead in setting up the cooperative arrangement last year, is not so sure Westernport’s decision won’t have an adverse effect on the contract.

“There are grant issues that will have to be looked into,” he told the Times-News Wednesday, noting that the Appalachian Regional Commission had provided a $20,000 grant for half of the funding for the program.

Each of the municipalities, in turn, was to provide additional funding.

It is not a matching fund or set amount, but rather each town government pays wages for the inspector’s services.

“They are billed by the hour,” he said.

Morris said a final vote bringing the code enforcement back “in house” will be placed on the agenda for the next town meeting, which is scheduled Aug. 11.

Contact Liz Beavers at lbeavers@times-news.com.