Council standing firm on inspections and fees

OXFORD >> Borough Council is not willing to give the Chester County Housing Authority a break on rental unit inspections and fees at the Oxford Terrace Apartments, at least not at this time.

Vince Donohue from the Housing Authority came to the Mon., Aug. 10 council meeting asking for a waiver of the bi-annual inspections and the associated fee of $65 per unit that is required for all residential rental units in the borough.

Donohue told Council that Phoenixville exempts the Authority from their similar ordinance, and West Chester does not have this type of ordinance. He also told Council that the Authority would be willing to pass along their own inspection reports.

“If the borough wanted to inspect also, we’re not opposed to doing that. We’re looking for relief from the related fee,” Donohue said.

The 48 units in Oxford Terrace already undergo two federal inspections, but the Borough is not getting that information, and the Borough Codes Department is not sure how those inspections compare to Oxford’s own requirements.

Two years ago, the Housing Authority made a similar request, and Council decided not to grant an exemption. As explained by Borough Solicitor Stacey Fuller, the Borough currently has a case pending in District Court against the Authority for failure to pay the fees and have the inspections during the 2013-14 inspection cycle.

“The Codes Office has made it abundantly clear that they need to comply,” Fuller said.

“We have repeatedly contacted them. They say ‘we don’t have to do it, we’re not doing it;,” Codes Officer Scott Moran added.

There is no waiver provision in the Borough’s regulations, so an amendment to the ordinance would be required if Council wants to waive the fee. The Borough is not ready to even consider that until the inspections are made and paid for, so that they will at least have an idea of how the building stands in relationship to the Borough’s codes.

Council President Ron Hershey seemed to be leaning toward keeping the fee requirement. “The borough doesn’t make money on this. We have an obligation as Council to make sure that building is up to code and safe for our residents to live in,” he said. “If we waive the fee, that becomes an expense to the Borough.”

Donohue indicated that the Authority would comply, and on his assurance, the court action will be continued for another month, giving time to get the inspections done.

Moran told Council that he has yet to see an application for a building permit for

the interior repair work being done at Oxford Terrace following a fire there last month.

That fire is recorded as being caused by a resident putting cooking oil on the stove and then leaving the building, a situation that could not have been predicted by inspections.

Councilman John Thompson, however, pointed out that when the police and fire fighters entered the building there were multiple units where doors had to be broken down. “They were asked to put a knock box and they were refused,” Thompson said. “The officers had to forcibly enter numerous apartments. To me that is a major concern.”