Summit Hill Borough Council had a special meeting Monday to discuss various issues, including people not cleaning up after their dogs, permit fees, potential changes in some parking rules and snow issues.

Pat Williams, a resident who said she regularly takes walks around the community, said dog waste is a problem. She said in the vicinity of the borough cemeteries, between the fences and the street curb, “there’s enough (dog droppings) that you could fertilize a cornfield.”

“I have never seen it as bad as it is now,” she said.

Joseph Weber, vice chairman of the council who conducted the meeting, agreed that often people don’t clean up after their pets.

He said there is an ordinance requiring people to pick up the dog waste but that it’s hard to enforce.

“We could post friendly reminders to pick up the pet waste,” he said.

Kira Steber, secretary/treasurer, said that sometimes the pet feces is left in the street where it gets crushed by vehicles.

There are doggie cleanup stations at several locations in the borough.

Fee discussion

A list of fees charged by the borough’s engineer was sent to the borough council as a result of a resident complaining last month about the high cost of doing any type of rehabilitation or construction project in the borough.

Lehigh Engineering said in the correspondence that the standard fee for a complete renovation project is 2.5% of the project cost plus 20% of the permit fee for administration and an additional $4.50 mandated fee. This inspection fee includes all phases of construct.

The council agreed the fee schedule can be confusing. In addition, Weber asked a contractor working on a project to report back to the borough regarding the cost of permit fees that are levied on him.

The council reviewed various borough fee schedules and whether some of the fees should be increased.

For example, council member Marlene Basiago asked if fees for holding a zoning hearing cover the cost of the hearing.

Parking

It was also suggested during the discussion that the fees for illegal parking be increased.

In Summit Hill, the cost of a ticket for not moving your vehicle for snow removal is $25. It was noted that some other towns have $75 fines.

“I don’t care what we charge,” Weber said. “I just care about them moving their cars.”

He said he opposes towing vehicles because of the addition of storage fees but doesn’t oppose raising the fine.

Basiago said an ordinance requires clearing sidewalks after a storm but the borough doesn’t clean its own sidewalks, including at the borough hall and at Ludlow Park.

Weber said the borough has a two-man, full-time workforce that concentrates on clearing the streets of snow.

He added that the sidewalks at the borough hall “is our responsibility.”

Basiago also complained that borough snow was dumped into Memorial Park despite an ordinance that states this isn’t allowed.

Weber asked, “Where do we dump it?”

Parking

Basiago said she received a request from a resident to prohibit parking on the east side of Walnut Street from White to Ludlow because the street is so narrow.

It was reported that if cars are parked on the east side, that it is difficult for school buses to get through. The council agreed to look into not only this street, but the parking on other narrow streets, too.

In one other matter, the council agreed to allow the recreation commission to host a Pysanky egg class on March 24 and a paint-and-sip event on April 24, both at the Hilltop Community Center.