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Millersville Borough, Lancaster County, passed an ordinance taxing rental leases. The Pa. Senate passed a bill recently restricting local governments' ability to pass these taxes. The bill awaits passage in the House. Consider calling your Represenative to ask for their support for Senate Bill 763. Check page 17. In 2004 Brownstown Borough passed an ammendment to their property maintenance code. It called for fees, permits, inspections and penalties for violations. We will discuss this ordinance at upcoming meetings. The Cambria-Somerset Council of Governments performs these inspections. They provide services to the following municipalities: Ebensburg, Gallitzin, Upper Yoder, Nanty-Glo, South Fork, Dale, Summerhill, Berlin, Brownstown, Central City, East Conemaugh, Franklin, Ferndale, Jenner, Lorain, Stonycreek, and West Taylor.
CITY ORDINANCE NEWS The City of Johnstown has implemented the new Property Registration Ordinance. All owners of property whether commercial or residential are required to register if there has been a change in occupancy since 1996. There is no fee to register. There is no requirement in the new ordinance requiring landlords to divulge the names of their tenants. It is the TENANT'S responsibility to register using the move-in permit. Registered landlords can use the enhanced move-in permit to help qualify their tenants.
The GJLA can inform you of the benefits and responsibilities of this new ordinance. Please come to a meeting and download our new Newsletter for more informaion.  This is the ad placed in the Tribune recently... The page on the right is a sample of the Property Registration Form. You can call City Hall to see if your name is on file already. The public meeting held on March 28th was informative. Several residents and landlords spoke and Council asked questions themselves. Mr. Davis outlined the registration form to be used by all property owners and discussed the enhanced move in permit form that is the basis for sharing information between the city and landlords. Prospective tenants can now register with the city before renting your property. A form listing the status of sewer and garbage accounts, as well as code violations for each adult who wishes to rent your property will be provided to landlords. A report of criminal convictions in Johnstown will be available also. The property registration form is simple and is required to get the tenant background information from the city. Westmont rental ordinance update... On Tuesday April 10, Westmont Boro Council voted to table the proposed rental ordinance. They believe continued discussions with landlords would be more productive than passing the ordinance at this time. The GJLA wishes to thank Westmont Borough Council for their time and for listening to our concerns. The GJLA along with other concerned landlords will meet with Coucil in the coming weeks to discuss other options that promote property values and safety.Thanks to our members for coming to the meetings these past few months. The meetings were productive and serve as a model for cooperation between our group and municipalities. The GJLA has worked hard and spent money supporting the rights and concerns of Westmont landlords and property managers. To enable our group to grow and extend these same benefits to others in our area please consider joining our association at this time. By joining together much more can be accomplished than working alone. Check the March 1st Tribune for the latest story. Please read the editorial on Sunday, December 24th. Also read the article on April 11. Members, please check the blog for more information. |
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