On Wednesday, Murrysville will be considering what is essentially a “land confiscation ordinance,” No. 1104-25.
It requires property owners to register all property within the municipality that is vacant for more than 60 days or risk a fine of $1,000 per day. After you register, the municipality will have police powers to inspect the property for compliance, with a confiscatory fee schedule starting at $300 for the first year and increasing to $5,000 per year after 10 years the property is vacant.
Exceptions to the fee are if the property is being sold and is in compliance with all property ordinances, extended vacation or hospitalization, and at the discretion of the chief administrator (which I like to think of as a “friends and family” plan).
It is outrageous that Murrysville would even consider such an ordinance. What business is it of this municipality to regulate your property to that extent? We have plenty of building and maintenance ordinances to ensure that properties are maintained. The only reason is to force the sale of any vacant property. So much for rural Murrysville.
How many of us own a vacant lot for investment purposes, paying the exorbitant real estate taxes? Or winter in Florida and now we will be asked to pay a fee for that luxury?
Please contact your council person and voice your disappointment.
Dennis Pavlik
Murrysville