Summit Hill is unique in the region in that it exempts owners of vacant properties from paying annual garbage collection fees.

There will be a new provision added for the exemption.A resolution passed on Monday by a 6-0 vote of the council requires that any property exempted from the garbage collection fee have a placard displayed notifying the trash collection firm.Each placard will be numbered. The resolution states that no trash will be collected at any property containing such a placard.Anyone caught placing garbage on a placard property will be cited by police for trespassing and littering, the resolution says.The council also has imposed a fee for such exemptions of $10, plus the price of the placard. The fee is for paperwork and processing by the office and police.The resolution says all applicants must file annually for an exemption by Dec. 31 for the following year and then before the end of the quarter for any property being exempted during the year.In 2015, there were more than 100 names on the exemption list for the borough.The council also amended an ordinance increasing the penalties for delinquent garbage bill customers. In the past, the late fee for paying garbage bills was $25. That fee is changed to 20 percent of the base value of the bill. It will be assessed on any bill not paid by the due date.In other business:• The council hired John Poko as a full-time employee on a 4-1 vote. Opposed was John O'Gurek. In favor were council President Mike Kokinda, William O'Gurek, Gregory Kosciolek and Bill Chapman. Councilman David Wargo abstained. Karen Ruzicka was absent.John O'Gurek had nominated another person for the position but his nomination died for the lack of a second.• The borough hired Edward J. Kane, John Evans and Sam DiGilio as drivers on a call-out basis during such things as snow emergencies. All have commercial driver's licenses.• Police officer Jeffrey Ohl was approved to attend a Pennsylvania gang conference in State College on May 9-11 at a cost of $11 for the course and $80 for the hotel reservation. Chief of Police Joseph Fittos said the course offers more than just gang information. It also covers narcotics, including how they are manufactured and transported to the local area.Ohl will be required to provide training sessions to the rest of the police department after returning from the seminar.• Ohl also will attend an Advance Roadside Driving Enforcement Training course March 28 and 29 at no cost to the borough.• The council hired Computer Pals of Lehighton to handle computer maintenance for the borough at a cost of $200 per month.• Barbara Winkler Scott was appointed to the Summit Hill Recreation Commission.• A letter was received from the Panther Valley School District asking if the council wants any bus stop changes for the 2017-2018 school year. The council said they have no objections to keeping the bus stops where they are presently located.• The Panther Valley Running and Fitness Club was granted permission to have 5K run/walks on June 24 and Nov. 11.• The council is considering an ordinance that would make banks, holding companies and other property lien holders responsible for cutting grass and other doing maintenance on blighted properties. For such properties, a registry would be kept so that the borough can hold the lien holder responsible.