MADRID TOWNSHIP – Franklin County Commissioners learned Tuesday that they are not authorized to appoint a code enforcement officer for the unorganized territories.
Doreen Shieve, fiscal administrator for the unorganized territories, met with commissioners to review the county budget Tuesday and told them they did not have that jurisdiction.
Unorganized townships’ land-use issues are usually handled by the Land Use Regulation Commission, but if there is cause to suspect an unhealthy situation, the Department of Environmental Protection will step in, according to Peggy Dwyer of the commission.
The need for an enforcement officer came to light about a month ago when a building in Madrid Township was reported to have severe plumbing issues. A resident there notified the department about possible sewage drainage issues in an old dance hall in the township.
In that case, a leaky plumbing system was depositing raw sewage into the dirt-floor basement of the building, possibly affecting the water quality of a nearby stream. So Jim Crowley of the department inspected the building, which commissioners believe is now uninhabited.
The only indication of the severity of the problem was a comment Crowley made after inspecting the building. Commissioners reported he said it was a good thing it was a cold day when he was there.
Neither the building’s location, nor the name of the owner was available Tuesday.
Dwyer said Tuesday afternoon that she had not heard about the issue but that she would check with the commission’s permitting and compliance department. Crowley could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
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