Reading Officials Form Plan To Find Foreclosed-Property Owners

A 1947 topographic map of the Reading, Pennsylvania area. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A two-alarm fire in September 2011 gutted a vacant row home at 1422 Muhlenberg St., damaged two neighboring properties, and started the city on yet another frustrating journey to find an owner and order that a building be properly boarded up.

The Muhlenberg Street problem was just one skirmish in the city’s ongoing battle to find elusive property owners for such things as fire cleanup, unpaid taxes, quality-of-life tickets or blight.

But the battle may soon be over.

The city has a plan to get banks to register their foreclosures and may hire an outside firm to help monitor and enforce the rules.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=515575

Kenhorst Borough Council To Address Blighted Properties

Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States with township and municipal boundaries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Officials are set to address blighted properties in Kenhorst after a unanimous vote authorizing Solicitor Jill Nagy to draft a supplemental ordinance to help recover money used maintaining derelict houses and bank-owned properties.

Borough Council President David Roche told council that the supplement would be more of a backbone to the municipal building code, and that a newly formed blight steering committee met Wednesday to figure out how to better attack problem areas.

The panel consists of Roche, Richard Fritz, Mayor Nick Hatzas, Borough Manager Jeri Diesinger, Nagy and two residents who have not yet been chosen.

Read more:  http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=498578