PA Bill Number: HB2235
Title: Providing for regulation of the meat packing and food processing industry by creating facility health and safety committees in the workplace; ...
Description: Providing for regulation of the meat packing and food processing industry by creating facility health and safety committees in the workplace; ... ...
Last Action: Referred to LABOR AND INDUSTRY
Last Action Date: Apr 25, 2024
West Mifflin plans to undo 2nd gun restriction :: 01/21/2015
It turns out West Mifflin did have a second gun restriction on its books. Borough officials said a ban on carrying firearms into borough parks and recreation areas was part of Ordinance 1028.
On Tuesday, council approved advertising another ordinance that would remove that provision if passed at next month's council meeting.
Borough Solicitor Phil DiLucente told council “it is a fluid situation” with state Act 192 of 2014 still before an appeals court.
Act 192, signed last fall by then-Gov. Tom Corbett, opened the door to lawsuits against municipalities whose local gun laws go beyond state law.
In December, council repealed a 2009 ordinance requiring anyone who discovers a firearm is lost or stolen to report it to police within 72 hours.
Earlier this month the National Rifle Association sued Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Lancaster over their restrictions. That was after the three cities joined five lawmakers in asking Commonwealth Court to declare Act 192 unconstitutional.
Opponents of Act 192 say a bill meant to criminalize the theft of copper pipes and wires was amended in a way that violated the state constitution's original-purpose and single-subject clauses.
The bid to strike down Act 192 remains active, according to state court records.
DiLucente said in December that he was reviewing two ordinances but thought the other restriction on having guns on borough property wasn't put on the books because of West Mifflin Area School District policies.
The borough and school district continue to share an administration building at 1020 Lebanon Road after leaving 3000 Lebanon Church Road last year.
He said on Tuesday that “further investigation (of) over 1,000 ordinances” on West Mifflin's books turned up the ban in the parks ordinance.
The borough continues to market 3000 Lebanon Church Road and buyers have been looking at it.
Responding to a question from Councilman Robert Kostelnik, DiLucente said “there is a new interested party” who toured the building last week.
“We've had several people visit it,” borough manager Brian Kamauf said. “We've had a few formal offers and one counteroffer so far.”
In his report, Kamauf said the borough ended the year with a slight surplus.
The borough's total expenditures for 2014 were $16,474,744, about $185,000 under a planned budget of $16,659,379, Kamauf said.
Revenues totaled $16,268,346, but the borough is awaiting final reimbursements of $65,000 from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for a soccer field project and $138,000 from the Department of Environmental Protection for the purchase of a recycling truck.
In his report, Mayor Chris Kelly said $11,000 was taken in during the last quarter of 2014 from owners of tax-delinquent properties.
Much of it is from distrain, or the collection of rent from tenants living in tax-delinquent homes, under an ordinance passed by council in September, though in some cases the property owners paid the late taxes.
