Hazleton Businessman Burned Up Over Proposed Fire Inspection Fee

By Steve Mocarsky, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

Nov. 20–HAZLETON — An outspoken critic of Mayor Lou Barletta says the mayor jumped the gun by mailing out bills for fire inspections last week before a new fire inspection fee has even been signed into law.

And, restaurant/bar owner Ed Harach says, the $25 fee is an unfair way for the mayor to try to deal with the city’s troublesome budget deficit, which was about $137,000 at the end of 2006.

“The fee is taxpayer rape by Lou Barletta,” Harach said, adding that Barletta wants council to raise the garbage collection fee from $35 to $52 per quarter and the annual sewage transmission fee from $50 to $84 for 2008.

Harach said he has to pay annual business license and sign permit fees, the city’s mercantile tax, a $52 Emergency and Municipal Services Tax, a $10 per capita tax, earned income tax and property taxes.

Barletta said the inspections come at the recommendation of Fire Chief Donald Leshko “to prevent a catastrophe.”

City Council last month unanimously approved on first reading an ordinance establishing a fee for annual inspections of all businesses in the city by the fire department and/or code officer.

The inspections would evaluate “basic fire protection requirements,” including “working smoke detectors and alarms, charged fire extinguishers, properly marked and open exits … and functioning sprinkler systems where required,” according to the ordinance.

Council must vote twice more on the ordinance for it to become law.

However, Harach said he received a bill for the inspection fee in the mail on Friday, along with a business license fee and sign permit fee.

Harach said a city fire inspection of his business is unnecessary because the state requires two annual inspections of his ANSUL fire suppression system and fire extinguishers, which he says cost him about $300.

Barletta said the state inspections do not cover “any other fire code violations that may exist in a restaurant.

The perfect example was the Golden City Chinese Restaurant downtown, which had numerous fire code violations that had nothing to do with the ANSUL system or fire extinguishers,” Barletta said.

Harach also said he pays $2,500 a year for fire insurance, and “the insurance company comes in once a year and checks everything, from electrical to plumbing to emergency exits.”

Harach said there are many more fires in private homes in the city than in businesses.

“Business owners are regulated. We have to conform to all the latest codes, where the homeowners are not aware of these codes,” he said.

At least one city councilman shares some of Harach’s concerns.

Jack Mundie, who has usually supported all of Barletta’s initiatives, said he wants to discuss amending the ordinance.

Mundie said it might be fairer to give exemptions to business owners who can produce inspection certificates from the state or from their insurance companies.

Mundie was also “amazed” that the administration sent out bills for the inspection fees even before the final readings on the ordinance too place.

“I think they should have waited until the ordinance was passed,” Mundie said.

Leshko said doesn’t see a need for allowing exemptions.

“If we start exempting restaurants today, what will we exempt tomorrow? … If an insurance company is inspecting, that’s great. But we want to double-check and make sure they’re getting the job done,” Leshko said.

“I think it’s a very necessary inspection, and it goes back to the Golden City restaurant on Broad Street. We found their ANSUL system was condemned and they were still frying food in there,” Leshko said.

Leshko said the inspections will allow inspectors to familiarize themselves with businesses and their owners, and if a fire did break out, they would be familiar with the layout and how to contact the owner.

“A lot of buildings, we don’t know what’s in them. The safety of the citizens is our main goal,” he said.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Hazleton City Council will consider final approval of the fire inspection fee and raising garbage collection and sewage transmission rates at the council meeting scheduled for 7 tonight in City Hall, 40 N. Church St., Hazleton.

Steve Mocarsky, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 459-2005.

—–

To see more of The Times Leader, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.timesleader.com.

Copyright (c) 2007, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.