A special meeting has been scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 3, in regard to the moratorium recently placed on the modified portion of a sewer ordinance.

Town Supervisor Sheila M. Meegan and Councilman Eugene P. Hart will meet with Daniel Locche, public affairs director of the Buffalo Niagara Association of Realtors Inc. The meeting is to discuss lateral replacements, the portion of the code on which the moratorium has been placed.

The suspension took effect last week at the Town Board’s Jan. 23 meeting after the changes in the ordinance sparked controversy with several West Seneca real estate agents. They expressed concern about the board’s decision to require that sanitary sewer laterals be replaced on any property constructed before Jan. 1, 1980. The decision could greatly affect their business, they said, as well as every resident in the town.

The change in question was approved on Nov. 28 by the former Town Board, which included Meegan, who voted on the matter as a councilwoman. The change was one of several approved to approximately 10 different codes.

Despite the moratorium currently in place, anyone who seeks to sell a property or transfer the title is still subject to obtaining an up-to-date certificate of occupancy, according to John Gullo, the town’s building inspector and code enforcement officer.

“This has been proving well,” he said, adding that the certificate of occupancy requirement is meant to serve as a safety precaution — not as a way for the town to make money, as some residents alleged at the last board meeting.

“We’re finding little issues ... like detectors that aren’t properly installed or are missing altogether, electrical wires hanging out in the open that need to be covered by a box, faulty hot water tanks that could create a carbon monoxide problem,” he said, adding emphasis on the importance of having both smoke and CO detectors installed.

In one week alone, the officer observed three out of seven homes to have detectors still in their packages — unopened.

During home inspections, Gullo said he resorts to the town code that was in place around the time the house was built. For example, if a house was constructed in the 1960s, Gullo said he ensures that the house is in compliance with the codes at that time.

Such inspections cost a homeowner around $100.

Friday’s meeting will be held at the Burchfield Nature & Art Center, 2001 Union Road, West Seneca. Such town department heads as the engineer and code enforcement officer are expected to also be present.

Councilman John M. Rusinski said at Monday’s Town Board work session that he cannot be present at the meeting due to personal reasons.