Jim Thorpe Borough Council took action Thursday night aiming to bring its utility billing current and update several ordinances.

Currently, borough residents don’t get water bills for around two months after a meter reading.Council plans, however, to move up the billing date by two days each month with a long-term plan of bringing its billing current in 14 months.“It’s an issue especially when we have someone move out and then a water bill comes two months later,” Councilman Curtis Jackson said. “It’s confusing and we have to get that in line.”With the change, the final bill will be due on the 15th of the month rather than the 10th of the month,” Borough Manager Maureen Sterner said. “There will not be a five-day grace period anymore. The late penalty will be instituted on the 16th.”When any account gets $200 behind, it will be put on a shut-off list with a 37-day notice for homeowners and landlords to get on a payment plan or bring the account current.“We’re also only sending bills to landlords now,” Jackson said. “We used to send to both landlords and tenant, but there was confusion over who was ultimately responsible for payment. The landlord is responsible for the account.” 

Ordinance updatesStormwater management can be a tricky topic, but Jim Thorpe is aiming to make its ordinance less confusing.Council unanimously approved Barry Isett and Associates to update its stormwater management ordinance Thursday night at a cost of $1,040 for 10 hours of work.According to borough officials, a change is being made because the current ordinance is “challenging.”“The ordinance right now is very restricted,” said Josh Esposito, of Barry Isett and Associates. “We’re working on something that would work better for the residential properties here. It would be less restrictive but still meet Department of Environmental Protection requirements. It would also be more flexible to those administering the ordinance.”Barry Isett will also be working on an outdated section of Jim Thorpe’s zoning ordinance pertaining to business signage in the borough, and an agricultural provisions update.Together, the updates will cost $1,350.“Right now all we have is a definition for agriculture in the ordinance, but it is not listed as a permitted use or a special exception anywhere in the borough,” Councilman John McGuire said. “That is what we’re looking to change there.”