A public official should be careful to set a good example outside of the office if he or she wants to be respected regarding the decisions that must be made while serving in his or her elected capacity.

Unfortunately, Butler County Commissioner Jim Eckstein is setting a bad example with his rundown two-story investment property at 131 Wahl Ave. in Evans City — a property he has owned for several years, having bought it at a sheriff’s sale.

Since buying the property, he has allowed it to continue to deteriorate, rather than initiate badly needed renovation work.

But Eckstein isn’t the only culprit in what has become a dangerous, as well as unsightly, condition for the community. The borough council has been negligent in not acting against the property long before now — and still has no solid plans on how or if to do so.

The borough doesn’t even have a code-enforcement officer, or someone designated to perform the duties of such an official. Only at a meeting on July 2, when Eckstein’s property was discussed, did the council decide to talk with officials of neighboring municipalities to learn what practices they follow regarding code violations.

But Evans City isn’t the only municipality that hasn’t yet learned how to address blight. Butler Eagle news columns periodically have focused on places with similar problems.

Indeed, the city of Butler was remiss in dealing with blight for much too long and only has gotten serious about it over the past several years.

Decay spreads in a community when community officials fail to address it while the problem is small and isolated. Regarding the house in question, the problem no longer is small; the house not only is missing shingles, but the brick chimney is unstable and leaning.

Meanwhile, the porch is becoming less safe and is a storage area for old furniture, a car battery and a rusty burn barrel. A tree is growing through a set of exterior steps, and there are rotting window and door frames, gutters that have fallen and a broken window.

Eckstein bought the property after it was abandoned by its previous owners, who left furniture, garbage, food and other possessions inside.

According to Councilman John McKinney, the council initially told Eckstein he had one year to repair the home or raze it. Eckstein, who was elected to his commissioner position last November, has done neither.

Eckstein said he’s been unable to begin roof and chimney repairs because of expenses he’s incurred stemming from a lawsuit filed against him by fellow Commissioner Dale Pinkerton. Eckstein said he put the house back on the tax rolls, which no one else in Evans City was willing to do.

But that positive move has been soured by the inaction that followed his purchase of the house. Eckstein should begin repairs immediately or tear the house down — and council members should stop standing aside, hoping that one or the other will happen.

For both Eckstein and the council, there’s no excuse for further inaction.