Hancock County Commissioners hear complaints about nuisance properties
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NEW CUMBERLAND, W.Va. -- The Commissioners heard complaints about nuisance properties at Thursday's commission meeting. Mike Cunningham, owner of RPM Auto Sales in East Liverpool and a Hancock County resident, complained about being reported to the Abandoned Building Ordinance Committee, ABOC, for having an excessive amounts of vehicles on his property.
"In all fairness, I feel I was singled out in this county. There's other people who have 40, 50 cars sitting on their hills around their houses," said Cunningham.
He addressed the commission to report he removed the vehicles to get into compliance with the order, and took a $20,000 hit to his business in the process.
"In all fairness, what I'm asking is the ones that still have their 30, 40, 50, 60 cars sitting on their property, they need to be gone," said Cunningham.
He asked to know what law he was breaking as a business with active titles for the vehicles sitting on his land. Cunningham reported the only law he found applied to abandoned vehicles. He also complained of scheduling issues with Bob Vidas, ABOC county staff member and Office of Technology and Communications executive director, and attending another commission meeting without getting the chance to speak.
Commission President Joe Barnabei asked if he wanted to speak at the meeting and no one acknowledged him. Cunningham said he didn't know the procedures to speak at a meeting. Barnabei respond he wished Cunningham would have said something because they would have done something to help him.
Vidas reported the ABOC started corresponding with Cunningham in May of 2018, and he was expected to have the vehicles cleaned up by November of 2019. Vidas reported meeting with Cunningham approximately a year ago and he was sent a second letter for not following through with the agreement they made.
Commissioner Jeff Davis said this started with a complaint to the ABOC. Davis told Cunningham he has every right as a citizen to file the same complaint against others who have abandoned or nuisance properties.
Vidas said the county does not go out looking for nuisance properties and only addresses properties reported to the ABOC. Vidas said Cunningham can file complaints and the ABOC will look into them. Vidas offered to get him the complaint forms after the meeting and Cunningham said he will stay until the end to receive the copies.
Cunningham reported having all but five vehicles removed by the beginning of last week. Vidas said a county official drove past Cunningham's property on Thursday afternoon and counted 15 vehicles.
Cunningham also mentioned receiving a letter threatening to charge him $25 a day that his property is not cleaned up. Vidas said the ABOC visits the properties on their list to check their compliance with regulations. If a property is not cleaned up in the designated time frame a letter demanding compliance or a $25 per day fee is sent out. Vidas reported the letters are sent out after the meeting closest to the time a property is found non-compliant with the committee's order. The next ABOC meeting will be at 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 20 in the commission chambers.
"We're not picking on him, but if you think about 30 vehicles sitting on a hill, something is going to leak antifreeze or oil at some point, and people have wells, and we don't want to risk contaminating peoples drinking water."
Vidas also reported the properties Cunningham filed complaints about are registered salvage yards, and they pay a fee to the state to have multiple vehicles on their properties.
In other action, the commissioners:
-- Patti Barnabei, of Never Alone West Virginia presented Sheriff Ralph Fletcher with a $750 check to buy Narcan. Never Alone West Virginia is an organization that supports a drug free community. Patti said, "Our organization believes in supporting and providing help to those who are struggling. When someone is in the midst of an overdose and ready to die, we would love to save a life." Patti is married to Commissioner Barnabei. After hearing the county could not buy Narcan for the sheriff's department, Patti talked to the organization about donating money. Barnabei wants to remind residents that Narcan saves lives and is a safety measure for the county's law enforcement officers.
-- Agreed to table the county's options for opening medical marijuana facilities in the county. An organization approached the county about opening a facility, but the commissioners want to talk with their council before making any decisions on the matter.
-- Barnabei announced the informal presentations hosted by Magellan Advisors for the broadband service study had small turnouts, but the meetings went well because the advisors could address those in attendance's concerns in detail.
-- Approved the third and final revision of the general county budget for the 2019-2020 fiscal year.
-- Approved the 2020 standard mileage rate of 57.5 cents per mile driven for business use.
-- Agreed to table appointing a board member to the Hancock County Public Sewer District until they have interviewed all three applicants.
--Approved the order and notice for a special excess levy on May 12, 2020 for the purpose of funding the animal shelter as the current levy expires June 30, 2020.
--Approved three percent salary raises to the Office of Emergency Management director and deputy director, in conjunction with a First Energy grant. In December the commission raised county employees wages by two percent. This grant raises the director and deputy director's salaries an additional one percent and covers the two percent increase.
-- Approved the amended October 2019 Animal Shelter in and out reports of 257 animals in and 212 animals out.
-- Approved the application for the prevention resource officer grant through the state's Division of Justice and Community Services for the July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021 grant period.
-- Approved the renewal of the board of education and sheriff's agreement to supply the eight county schools with prevention resource officer.
-- Approved the application for the Hancock-Brooke-Weirton Drug Task Force grant through the Division of Justice and Community Services for the July 1, 2020- June 30 2021 grant period.
-- Agreed to hire Ken Barney for the position of security/ bailiff.
-- Approved the payment of county bills totaling $360,064 and p-card payments of $37,463.
-- Approved the bills and requisitions for the Animal Shelter Levy Fund, Library Levy Fund and Sheltered Workshop Fund.
--Chuck Wright, clerk of the circuit court, thanked everyone for their patience while the Circuit Court was starting its January term.
-- Jeannie Ostrander, deputy elections clerk announced the secretary of state will be at Weir High School to award the school with the Jennings Randolph Award after the school had 100 percent of eligible students register to vote. The date of the assembly is to be determined.
-- Karen LaScola, finance director, said she will be doing budgets and all the department heads should be on the lookout for a packet from her.
-- The commissioners and department heads shared their condolences and sympathies to the families of county employees who passed recently.
The next meeting will be at 2:30 on Feb. 13.
jriedel@reviewonline.com