Coaldale Borough Council could allow the borough’s fire and police departments to bill people for cleaning up traffic incidents on borough roads.

Borough council is set to vote tonight on an ordinance that would allow first responders in the borough to recover the expenses they incur while responding to emergencies.The ordinance would apply to Coaldale Fire Company and Coaldale Police when they are called to incidents in the borough.It specifically covers crashes and other incidents where hazardous materials are released onto borough roads. It also includes towing vehicles.It would not apply to normal firefighting services.Similar ordinances have become popular around the state in an effort to help fire departments replace lost revenue.In Lehigh County, there are a dozen municipalities that have a similar ordinance, including Washington Township and Walnutport.Coaldale already charges residents a 1-mill fire tax. That helps fund its annual donation to the fire company.In 2017, the borough budgeted $20,000 for fire services and another $10,000 for Coaldale fire department’s firefighter relief fund.Late councilman Harry Hontz Jr. was a big advocate for the ordinance before his death in March.“Yes, Harry had been questioning that,” attorney Robert Yurchak said.Council will vote on the ordinance at the meeting at 7 p.m. today in the borough hall.