Lansford Borough will try to come up with answers to achieve a fair and equitable approach to snow parking regulations and ticketing.

The issue came to the fore at the council meeting Wednesday."If you're not going to ticket for one snow storm, then don't ticket for any," resident Joe Butrie said.Butrie attended the meeting to get clarification about perceived inequities in enforcement."I was told that people weren't ticketed because we only had one officer on. How do we pick and choose when we're going to plow curb-to-curb?" he asked.Butrie's complaint evoked lengthy discussion.Joining in was resident Don Gildea, who pointed out that alternate side parking isn't an option for folks who live on narrow streets such as Kline, Water and others.Mayor James Romankow said two officers are necessary to enforce the code and issue tickets, but the department might not have two available in some cases."What if the officer is out there and had to respond to a call?" said Romankow.Councilman Tommy Vadyak advised the mayor that the borough's approach needs to be consistent in terms of ticketing and enforcement."In the future, I'll have you to the magistrate and you'll lose. You're picking and choosing," Vadyak said, to illustrate the problem.Councilwoman Rose Mary Cannon suggested that it boils down to the ordinance in effect."We have to either abide by the ordinance or do away with the ordinance," said Cannon.Butrie said the current policy indicates a timetable of "24 hours after the snow stops."But even that indicator is open to discussion, members said.Presiding over his first meeting, President Martin Ditsky pointed out that the matter of when snow actually stops can be subject to interpretation."As far as the snow ordinance, it's not clear as to when the snow stops. I've been a resident of Lansford for some time. I had a discussion with Officer Horos about tagging and towing. I'd like police to tag the cars," said Ditsky.Vice President Mary Soberick appealed to all parties for sound judgment."I think common sense needs to prevail here," Soberick said.In the end, Ditsky indicated that manpower needs will be addressed to help the matter."The tools are in place. Police can look into bringing in part-timers," Ditsky said, adding that the health of available workers must always be a priority, and that there should be no 22-hour shifts, for example.In another matter, council approved Vadyak's motion to develop a policy of attaching a civil lien to personal property where applicable to recoup delinquent sanitation monies.Vadyak said some $100,000 is owed to the borough in delinquent sanitation accounts.Regarding the matter of a current board vacancy, solicitor Michael Greek indicated he'd submit a petition to the Court of Common Pleas along with three letters of interest. The judge will then review the materials and make a decision.The seat was vacated upon resignation of Councilman Andrew Snyder.Ditsky also indicated that committee assignments will be filled once council is at full strength. The one exception, however, is that Soberick was reappointed to the Carbon County Tax Collection Committee on Wednesday.