Resident urges supervisors to narrow proposed vacant-property registration ordinance

A resident urged the Barrett Township Board of Supervisors during public comment on June 3 to reconsider the scope and fee structure of a proposed vacant-property registration ordinance, saying the draft language was overly broad and could impose steep costs on owners of undeveloped or inherited land.

The commenter asked whether the property maintenance, quality-of-life and vacant-property registration ordinances will return for future consideration and then detailed concerns about the draft’s reach. The speaker said the phrase "not actively used" is not clearly defined and warned the proposed $350 annual registration fee and a $100-per-day penalty could create a significant financial burden for owners of vacant or conservation land.

"The phrase not actively used is especially concerning because it is not clearly defined," the public commenter said, urging supervisors to limit registration to properties that create genuine health or safety risks and to remove vacant-land registration provisions if the board does not intend to proceed.

Board members did not make immediate changes to the ordinance during the meeting. A chair acknowledged the depth of the submission, said the board would review it and pledged to reply by the end of the week. The commenter also requested that future versions of the ordinances be made available well in advance of consideration to allow meaningful public review.

The meeting record indicates the septic holding-tank ordinance had recently passed and is now in effect; the commenter noted that affected property owners could start working proactively on compliance.

Next steps recorded in the meeting: the board will review the submission and provide a response; no formal vote on the vacant-property registration ordinance occurred at this meeting.