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By MARCIE SCHELLHAMMER

marcie@bradfordera.com

An ordinance to put a home rule charter question on the November ballot passed Bradford City Council on first reading Tuesday.

Prior to the passage, Mayor Tom Riel made a brief statement about a comment he had made during a work session regarding home rule.

‘We’re just doing this to explore it,’ he said, countering online arguments that home rule is a done deal. During a work session on the matter, Riel discussed some tax options that aren’t open to Third Class cities, but might be under home rule. He mentioned a commuter tax that some communities use, saying that should Bradford be able to levy that, they might collect more than $3 million.

At Tuesday’s meeting, he clarified, ‘We aren’t looking to levy a commuter tax. The point was’ there are other tax options available under home rule. ‘We were talking about the antiquated tax code. It’s difficult to get things changed in Harrisburg.’

The ordinance would place a question on the ballot of whether city voters would want a government study commission of seven members to study the existing form of government to consider the advisability of adopting a home rule charter.

This would be decided by voters, not by city council or the mayor.

The ordinance must be voted on a second time before it could be approved. A second vote will be held at the council meeting at 6 p.m. April 8.

Bradford resident Pat Girard brought several issues to council, including comments about the number of blighted houses being demolished in the city. She told the city if they were to enforce the codes in place, they wouldn’t need to demolish houses because they would be kept up.

Riel said, ‘Most of them we’re tearing down, people walked away from them years ago. Most of the houses built during our oil boom were just thrown up with no good foundations under them.

In some cases, later they were lifted up and foundations were put under them.’

Sometimes when the old houses sit vacant, they fall apart, Riel said. The city tries to track down owners, but oftentimes the owners are deceased or live out of town, or ownership is with a bank or lending company. ‘It’s been very, very difficult.’

He added, ‘The city of Bradford has never had more Board of Health meetings than in the last several months.’

Riel said a group of

Council… page A-8 locals had offered the city $1 million to “help us clean up the blighted homes,” and the city opted to go through the Downtown Bradford Revitalization Corp. with the funds. And with the DBRC’s help, prioritizes the properties on the list to address first.

“Some of these are houses that have been on it a very long time,” Riel said.

Girard told Riel that something has to be done to save houses. “If you let something deteriorate you end up tearing it down. You can’t continue to let this happen or you will have no taxes and no tax base. Sit down and think about this, how can we prevent this in the future?”

Riel pointed out the community renovation projects that have been underway like the Neighborhood Partnership Projects that have made improvements in entire neighborhoods.

In other business, council approved $22,500 to the Punxsutawney Borough for a 2020 Ford Interceptor to be used for a K-9 Unit. The funds are from donations.

Council approved lease agreements with Heather Jobe for Starlight Dance Connection at the Habgood Center and Beacon Light for a suite at Old City Hall.

Eric Taylor, Mark Hollenbeck and Terry Lopus were appointed as the negotiating committee for a labor contract with Local 655 International Association of Fire Fighters.

Payment of $2,106.07 was approved for payment to Irr Supply Centers for parts to repair the boiler pipes at Callahan Ice Rink.