ALLENTOWN – The Borough Council has changed the job responsibilities of Joseph McGrath, who was holding the positions of Allentown’s code enforcer, housing inspector and zoning officer. McGrath works in the borough two mornings a week for a total of four hours.
At its meeting on Sept. 12, the council voted 6-0 to expand McGrath’s duties as the code enforcer, to relieve him of his duties as housing inspector and zoning officer and to hire an employee for the remainder of the year to fill the positions of temporary housing inspector and temporary zoning officer.
Municipal officials said their priority is to deal with vacant and abandoned homes and properties and they said they want McGrath to spend all of his time in the borough focusing on that issue.
In some cases, clearing up matters involving vacant and abandoned homes and properties can produce revenue for Allentown from fines and other payments, according to council members.
McGrath has worked in Allentown since July 2016 and he has “dutifully and faithfully performed his duties,” according to the resolution.
Officials said it has become clear that four hours per week “is simply insufficient for Mr. McGrath to perform all the functions of code enforcer, housing inspector and zoning officer and still have enough time to act as code enforcer to the extent required by the current conditions of vacant and abandoned properties within the borough.”
McGrath was present at the meeting and said, “Whatever the mayor and council decide my role is, that is the role I will play.”
The council determined that McGrath will work two mornings a week for two hours at a time, for a total of four hours per week dedicated solely to code enforcement, according to the resolution.
In a report he prepared for Mayor Greg Westfall and the council, McGrath said there are currently 12 vacant properties registered with the borough.
Those properties include one that has been purchased and is being rehabbed; one (a gas station) that has been taken down and is the subject of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection investigations; one that has been sold and has new owners occupying the home; three that are not registered and whose owners will receive summonses; and one which has been assigned a new service company and for which McGrath is in negotiations to have work done on the house and property.
McGrath’s compensation is being reviewed by Allentown’s chief financial officer and is expected to be determined at a future council meeting, according to municipal officials.
The council members’ discussion to have McGrath spend all of his time on code enforcement and to hire another individual to handle the duties of housing inspector and zoning officer was the subject of comments by members of the public.
John Fabiano said it makes no sense to hire a temporary worker and called the council’s intent to bring on another employee “government at its worst. This appears to be a money grab.”
Speaking of the decision to hire a temporary employee, Jeff Ploshay said, “It seems like there are ulterior motives here,” to which Councilman Thomas Fritts responded, “It’s unfortunate you think that.”
Council President Wil Borkowski said, “We are trying to solve a problem with what Mr. McGrath is good at. This (decision) allows us to get started on the most important issue. I am convinced this (hiring a temporary employee and having McGrath focus on abandoned properties) is what we should do. We want to hit it while we can.”
John Elder said Allentown does not need two people dividing the work McGrath has been doing by himself. He suggested that McGrath maintain all three positions and have his hours increased.
Robert Mayer said a vacant property on Church Street was becoming a hangout for adolescents and said, “Mr. McGrath took action and the problem was solved. I am in favor of increasing his hours.”
Keith Ingling asserted that the council was taking away two jobs from McGrath because he enforced the borough’s codes and that enforcement led to the council receiving negative feedback from certain people he did not name.
Anne Garrison said the situation with McGrath “is political and everyone knows it is.”
Fritts said that from the Personnel Committee’s point of view, “it’s not political. I feel many of the comments from residents were political.”
He said code enforcement will still be part of McGrath’s job and that in the new year, officials may decide to increase McGrath’s hours.
