Jeff Smith

After his term as Butler’s treasurer ended in 2015, Jeff Smith said he decided to move on to other things.

As the spring primary election approached this year, however, he decided to try returning to city government because the city’s biggest problem wasn’t being addressed.

“It didn’t seem like anyone was focusing on the main problem in Butler and that was the neighborhoods,” Smith said.

He ran a successful write-in campaign and won a Republican Party nomination to run for a seat on city council in the upcoming election.

The first of the three goals Smith said he would pursue if he wins the election is making neighborhoods safer to entice people to buy homes.

Currently it is lucrative for out of town “slumlords” to buy property and charge as much rent as they can while still qualifying for public housing vouchers, Smith said.

He said he would like to work with Butler County officials to look at the number of vouchers in the city, in an effort to reduce the demand for “less than desirable housing.”

A rental property inspection program would help ensure all renters have safe housing and increase slumlords’ expenses by requiring them to properly maintain their properties, he said.

“It wouldn’t hinder good landlords who maintain their properties,” Smith said. “It’s for landlords who don’t take care of their properties and lower the value of other properties.”

He said zoning and code enforcement are keys to restoring neighborhoods. Creating preservation districts that prohibit multiple unit housing and encourage single family homes could help improve neighborhoods, Smith said.

Most municipalities rely on earned income tax revenue to cover expenses, but 25 to 30 percent of Butler’s revenue comes from income taxes, he said.

“So we need to increase the number of taxpayers in the city by increasing owner-occupied housing. That is really the only option Butler City has,” Smith said.

Smith’s second goal is to work with growing municipalities in the county to get people to buy homes in the city.

Smith said the area needs business for employment, but businesses don’t have to be in the city for the city to benefit. Improving the housing stock and making neighborhoods safer would make the city an attractive place for people who work in other parts of the county to live, he said.

“Butler can benefit from growth in the surrounding area,” Smith said.

That concept is in a joint comprehensive plan that was adopted by the city and surrounding municipalities several years ago, but hasn’t been used.

“It was put on a shelf and we really haven’t utilized it,” Smith said.

His third goal is reducing expenses, and he said he saw some opportunities to save a little money when he was treasurer.

One idea is to outsource police vehicle maintenance through competitive bidding, Smith said, adding that he recommended it to council when he was treasurer.

He said it could cost less to fix vehicles under a contract than it does when taking vehicles to a repair shop.

Smith, 62, said he gained experience in budgeting from the 40 years he has been working for Vitro Flat Glass, a former PPG facility, in Cheswick where he is in charge of supply, transportation and inventory. He has been a trustee at Slippery Rock University for four years.

Smith said he and his wife Diane have six adult children.