Published: November 01, 2009 11:31 pm      

Officials approve ads to fill two vacancies

JOHNSTOWN — Since mid-October, Johnstown has been without a code-enforcement officer – a notable vacancy in a city that struggles with blight and vacant property.

But some help is on the way, as City Council has decided to temporarily lift a hiring freeze to hire one codes staffer.

That will not fill out the ranks in a department with four vacancies. But it will ensure that City Hall can mount some response to the continuing deluge of code complaints from residents.

“We need more than one, but we’ll take one for now,” said Ron Andrews,

Johnstown’s director of community and economic development.

Council last week authorized advertisements to fill two vacancies: The code-enforcement officer and a construction supervisor in Andrews’ department.

In a cash-strapped city, the hirings were made much more palatable by the fact that both jobs are fully funded by the federal government.

“It has no impact on (the city’s) general fund,” Andrews said.

The codes position was deemed a critical need. At this time last year, there were four such officers.

But a layoff and three subsequent departures – the last retirement took effect Oct. 15 – left the Codes and Permitting Department with only two full-time staff members: Director Ron Shomo and permit clerk Jim Thomas.

Officials said that is inadequate for a department that handles much more than complaints about grass and garbage.

For instance, in this year alone, the office has issued 473 contractor licenses and 136 business licenses.

Also, Shomo is an independently licensed building-code official. Though an outside contractor handles many project details, Shomo ultimately is responsible for oversight of all construction and renovation in the city.

This year, there has been $6.7 million in construction.

Since 2006, construction volume in Johnstown is valued at $66 million.

“I don’t think the complexities of the code department are fully realized,” Shomo said.

But code complaints still are the most visible of the department’s functions.

And there are plenty of those – 1,100 this year through Oct. 20, and nearly 6,000 since 2006.

Shomo said he has been pursuing some of the more-severe code complaints but could not get to all of them. Recently, the department has resorted to sending letters to property owners due to the staffing shortage.

City Councilman Nunzio Johncola said he believes some people have been taking advantage of the situation.

“I see more dumping and neglect, and that’s because they know we don’t have code-enforcers,” Johncola said.

Shomo said hiring even one code officer will help “tremendously.”

Andrews expressed a similar sentiment regarding City Council’s other approved hire. The construction supervisor position had been vacant since Oct. 16.

That staff member plays a critical role in the city’s housing-rehabilitation programs, which require detailed, on-site inspections.

There are five projects currently under contract, but further work at other sites had ground to a halt, Andrews said.

“I have nine projects ready to go, so we have nine families or individuals waiting,” he said.

Both positions will be advertised soon, with hirings expected later this month.