Summit Hill officials plan special meetings
Parking fees, shared services, sidewalk ordinance among the topics
By RON GOWER
Summit Hill Borough Council is planning to hold several special meetings in the next month or so, hoping to get public input on a variety of proposals including increasing fees for handicapped parking signs, rental property inspections, discussing a shared services agreement and a proposed sidewalk ordinance.
The topics were mentioned at the monthly meeting of the council on Tuesday, with the date set for only one special session.
The workshop for discussing fees for handicapped parking signs will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, April 22, in the Hilltop Community Center.
The most significant change in this ordinance is an increase in fees to cover the borough’s costs for purchasing and installing handicapped parking signs and the administrative duties involved.
Council member Marlene Basiago outlined the new proposal. She said there would be an initial fee of $25 to apply for a new handicapped parking spot, with a three-member committee of the council then reviewing it and submitting a recommendation to the council. If approved, there would be a charge of $225 to cover the cost of the sign and the labor to install it.
There would then be a $55 annual fee. Application for renewal would be required every year.
Residents who want painted lines would have an additional $25 fee and a sticker would cost $10.
Kira Steber, secretary/treasurer of the borough, said about 55 to 60 residents now have handicapped parking signs.
Basiago’s proposal was backed by council member Lacey Gonzalez who said, “I’m all for the cost (to the borough) being covered by the fees.”
Another change would be that no fee waivers would be granted. The present policy states that individuals under a specific income can have fees for handicapped parking spaces waived.
Approval for handicapped parking spaces would be determined by a Rubeck rating scale, which would have specific criteria including the requirement of a doctor’s recommendation.
Council President David Wargo said approval for handicapped parking signs at the present time is on a discretionary basis. He feels the Rubeck rating scale will be a more accurate approval system.
The council also discussed, but without taking action, charging fees for special parking designations for businesses. The proposed fee would be $55 annually. If parking lines are required, there would be a $25 charge.
No dates were set for any of the other special meetings proposed.
A workshop on updates regarding rental property inspections will be announced at a future date. Wargo, Basiago and Steber are working on this matter.
Wargo would like the street committees of Summit Hill, Lansford and Coaldale borough councils, as well as representatives of the Panther Valley School Board, to meet regarding a shared services agreement that presently exists.
He said the meeting is necessary to “review where we’re at with shared services.”
The date of this meeting will be announced.
Wargo also wants a meeting with the Lansford/Coaldale/Summit HIll Joint Sewer Authority and the three boroughs to discuss the status of the moratorium on new connections to the sewerage system. Presently the Pa. Department of Environmental Protection isn’t allowing new connections to the central sewerage system because it is operating in excess of its capacity.
That meeting will possibly be set in April or May, Wargo said.
Council member Karen Ruzicka wanted a special meeting this month for public input on a new sidewalk ordinance she is proposing. Wargo declined the request because Ruzicka doesn’t have specifics for the proposed ordinance.