Assembly hears plan to rescope code‑enforcement cleanup fund and requests $200,000 appropriation

Borough Community Planning Director Kellen Spielman told the Finance Committee that the administration will bring an ordinance next week to appropriate $200,000 from the general fund to the existing code‑enforcement cleanup fund and to rescope allowed uses to include voluntary cleanup efforts when there is a direct public benefit.

Spielman outlined how the fund is currently used (abandoned vehicle removal, right‑of‑way encroachment cleanups and court‑ordered property cleanups) and said the fund has paid for large right‑of‑way and private‑property cleanups in recent years. He described a court‑ordered cleanup that removed 169 tons of waste at a cost of about $62,000 and said staff expects towing and removal costs of roughly $54,000 for approximately 90 abandoned vehicles over the next 18 months.

Proposal specifics: The ordinance would give staff the option—where criteria are met—to organize volunteer‑led cleanups while covering hauling and landfill tipping fees from the rescoped fund. Spielman said the intent is to use the $200,000 to cover hauling/tipping fees and other direct cleanup costs for roughly 18 months while staff develops program rules and selection criteria.

Concerns and constraints: Assembly members raised questions about how the borough would recover costs if properties later regress and whether the borough could use other funding sources (for example, solid‑waste accounts) for tipping fees. Borough Attorney said liens and judgments are available tools but recovery rates are often low; staff noted that the primary bottleneck is staff capacity to manage volunteer logistics and contractor work. The committee also discussed jurisdictional complexity when debris sits in state or city rights‑of‑way versus borough property.

What’s next: The ordinance is scheduled for formal introduction and a vote next week; staff said they plan to return with policy details for voluntary cleanup eligibility, a permission/waiver form and an implementation plan if the appropriation is approved.