Summit Hill Borough Council is considering an ordinance putting the responsibility on the property owner instead of the borough for cleanup or demolition after a structure fire.

"If someone has a structure fire and a home is destroyed, (the homeowner) can't walk away and put the burden on the borough," said President Mike Kokinda.He said the homeowner would have to establish an escrow account, possibly with insurance money received, to pay for the cleanup work.Council member Michael Alabovitz said he initially proposed such an ordinance two years ago."I think it makes sense for the borough to take a look at this," he said.Kira Steber, borough secretary, said the proposal is modeled after one that exists in Lehighton.It was suggested at the meeting that since two new members will join the borough council next month, action on the ordinance be delayed until they get a chance to review it.Council will be able to advertise and adopt the ordinance in February.Council is also planning to adopt more stringent rules for contractors who conduct underground pipe repairs and replacement.Kokinda said the street repair ordinance comes on the suggestion of the borough's engineer, R. Michael Tirpak II of Carbon Engineering in Summit Hill.The ordinance calls for:• Doubling the current street opening permit fee.• The borough should provide inspections during the trench backfilling and pavement restoration.• All trenches shall be backfilled with borough-specified material.• Temporary patching shall be placed upon completion of the backfill.• Final surface restoration shall be performed between 90 and 120 days after backfilling.• One year after the final pavement restoration, the borough will conduct a final inspection. If the restoration is acceptable, the permit fee less the cost incurred by the borough for inspection will be returned.Dialogue about Tirpak's recommendations occurred at recent meetings of the council after complaints were received that some water and sewer line repairs resulted in subpar street repair work. Council said some sinking occurred where excavation work has been done, indicating the work wasn't done properly.A copy of this ordinance is available for inspection by the public at the borough hall.The ordinance is anticipated to be adopted at the Jan. 25 meeting of the borough council.