The cities of Wheeling and Moundsville recently took it upon themselves to ensure the health and safety of renters within their limits when roach problems reared their ugly heads in both places.

Windsor Manor Apartments saw a condemnation notice on its front door Friday morning, after an inspection by Wheeling Building and Code Enforcement the day before unearthed what it called a “major roach infestation.” No one has been forced from the apartments, Wheeling Building and Planning Director Brenda J. Delbert said, but the property owners have until Feb. 9 to correct the problem. They also must work through the city building department to get it done. A sign underneath the condemnation notice stated that management and ownership were aware and working on fixing the issue.

In Moundsville, the issue already is getting fixed. Rental properties on Cedar, Center and Cypress streets had roach infestations, and while the property owner previously was compelled by a court order to start cleaning up the properties, problems persisted. So city officials used Moundsville’s nuisance property ordinance, which allowed the city to start the roach treatments and bill the owner for reimbursement.

While we believe in most cases that governments of any size shouldn’t inject themselves into private businesses, this was a matter of public health and the safety of residents in those cities. Both Wheeling and Moundsville operated correctly to spur property owners to correct significant problems.

Good for them for keeping their residents safe.