The Summit Hill Water Authority won't be dissolved by the borough council.

During a meeting of the council on Monday, the council was locked on a motion to rescind the ordinance that would have eliminated the authority.The council was split on the matter, but Mayor Paul McArdle broke the tie, saying, "I vote to let the water authority the way it is."Had the vote failed, the water authority was scheduled to be dissolved by July 1 and a water department under the auspices of the borough council would have been created.The council's vote on the matter was split at 3-3, with council President Michael Kokinda absent due to illness.Voting against rescinding the ordinance, which would have meant dissolving the authority, were Michael Alabovitz, Jesse Walck and William Chapman.In favor of keeping the authority intact were Billy O'Gurek, John O'Gurek and Gregory Kosciolek.A member of the water authority was in attendance. Walck asked the member if he inspected the authority's budget and if money is available for line replacement.The member said he is new and doesn't have an answer.Walck said, "We have the numbers and there's nothing (no money for line replacement) there. It's a problem."He said, "If lines start to break, it's a long-term problem. It's not a quick fix."After the vote was deadlocked, the mayor asked if he could delay the vote to look into the matter further.Attorney Michael Greek, the borough solicitor, said the mayor has the option to delay his vote and call a special meeting of the council at a later date. But it is the mayor's responsibility to break the tie."I don't think we're ready to take that over," McArdle said of the authority.Walck said his main concern is that the water authority has set aside money to replace broken lines.Chapman agreed, saying there are areas in town where fire hydrants are dry.Bill O'Gurek criticized the council for not making an effort to meet with the water authority and expressing its concerns.The controversy over the dissolution of the water authority began last fall. The council voted in November to take over the water authority and form a water department.Last month, the council agreed by a 4-3 vote to rescind that action. Kokinda joined John O'Gurek, Bill O'Gurek and Kosciolek on the action. However, the final vote had to occur Monday night after the council's intention to rescind the ordinance was advertised.