CALCUTTA — St. Clair Township trustees will now look to take more action in relation to junked vehicles throughout the township.

During Tuesday’s meeting, trustees approved a resolution which regulates storage of junk vehicles and provides a penalty for residents in violation. It also would give the township an opportunity to take better action over the matter, which trustees said has been a problem for quite some time.

Administrative assistant Eldena Gearhart informed the board she spoke with legal counsel Andy Beech, who provided a copy of the resolution which stated residents must clean up their properties, regardless if on public or private property.

“With that, we send a letter, we say that you need to clean it up whether it’s private or public. It makes no difference, they’re still not permitted by the (Ohio) Revised Code to have a bunch of junk vehicles visible to anybody driving by the road,” Gearhart said.

According to the resolution, Gearhart said residents who violate the matter will be subject to misdemeanor criminal charges in court. Additional charges are filed for each day the matter is not addressed by the owner.

“(Beech) felt that this was definitely the way to go, and plus we know how many complaints we’re getting from the public in regards to more and more of these showing up in our township,” Gearhart said. “It does not have anything to do with zoning, so that doesn’t apply.”

Gearhart stated if this resolution does not solve the problem, then another resolution would need to be passed which results in the removal of the vehicles.

The new resolution also states residents may provide a barricade for vehicles, but must have the vehicles stored inside a building and not visible to the public. Money from the fines will go to the township’s general fund.

“I think this is going to give us some leeway in at least some help in getting rid of these eyesores that are in the township,” Trustee Chairman James Hall said.

Meanwhile, in another nuisance-related matter, Martha Street resident Jerry Barnes appeared before trustees to provide an update on the nuisance property complaint of 16211 Martha Street.

A complaint was filed Aug. 20, which stated the roof of the home appeared to have caved in, while the property has not been taken care of and has caused rodents and mosquitoes to appear, posing a safety hazard for children. The house was reported to be in foreclosure, and information was sent to the Columbiana County Health Department.

At the Sept. 4 meeting, Barnes discussed the possibility of zoning, but was advised by trustees for that to happen, a petition would need to be circulated and signed by residents.

On Tuesday, Barnes stated he expressed some interest in purchasing the property, but also said he had not been able to find anyone related to the past owner, who is reportedly deceased.

“… without having a connection to next of kin or some relationship to send notifications to, we’re kind of a dead end,” Barnes said. “That concerns me because I checked with the treasurer’s office, and now the back taxes have gone from $2,400 to $3,300, and as of today, they would be assessing a 10 percent penalty on that back tax.”

Trustee Robert Swickard asked Barnes if he had known of a time frame as to when letters would be sent, but Barnes thought “if we had somebody to send information to, a notification, that could be done now. That’s why I’m concerned and am trying to help.”

Gearhart explained because the registered owner is deceased, once the house goes into foreclosure, the information is sent to the county prosecutor’s office, who would then turn over the house for sheriff’s sale.

“I don’t even know if anybody would buy that,” Swickard said, noting the damage to the structure.

Gearhart stated that Barnes, if interested and able, would most likely have the structure demolished, but added that no one has tried to claim the property and the deed had not been transferred to anyone. Barnes stated that the homeowner’s daughter and her three children had once lived there, but added that he cannot contact them.

Gearhart also said the land value was estimated to be around $12,000. The house would be worth $39,000, but would be demolished due to its reported condition.

“When I ran this report, the delinquence was $2,436.88, but that was before this last tax,” Gearhart said.

Trustee James Sabatini advised Barnes to contact Liverpool Township zoning enforcer Bob Walker for more information on potential zoning.