A subdivision application heading toward filing pushed Jim Thorpe Borough Council to address Thursday night a gap in its own land development rules that had gone unfilled since the borough last updated the ordinance. Nobody, officials said, had ever set the recreation fee.

Council voted to establish a fee of $4,000 per dwelling unit; money developers can pay in lieu of dedicating a portion of their property for recreational use. The fee, set by resolution, can be changed by council at any time.

Borough Manager Maureen Sterner told council the matter needed to be resolved before the pending filing came in.

“This is something that you should do tonight,” Sterner told council Thursday. “I know there is a subdivision coming up soon, getting ready to file. This was a task when we updated our SALDO ordinance. It includes a dedication of land for recreation or open space. In lieu of that, if council is willing, you may accept a fee for recreation. That fee was set by resolution, and we have not done that.”

The fee replaces what would otherwise be a requirement for a developer to set aside land within their project for recreational or open space purposes. Council members weighed several approaches before landing on the flat per-unit figure.

Council Vice President Mike Yeastedt said he was drawn to the method used by Penn Forest Township, which ties the fee to actual land value.

“I like the Penn Forest one,” Yeastedt said. “It says it’s dependent on the size of the lot, and it’s equal to the fair market value per acre of the land multiplied by acreage of the land.”

But Sterner pointed out the borough’s own ordinance is written differently.

“That’s not per dwelling unit,” she said. “Our ordinance says the amount must be per dwelling unit.”

Sterner said comparable fees in other Carbon County municipalities range from $1,000 to $9,000. Lower Towamensing Township charges $2,000 and Towamensing Township charges $1,000; both figures Nanovic noted are widely considered low. He offered $4,000 as a workable middle ground.

“Typically, if it’s a five-lot subdivision, you say every lot has to contribute $4,000 — so you get $20,000,” Nanovic said. “Throwing that out there.”

Yeastedt pressed on whether a $1,000 floor made any sense given construction costs.

“If you were going to develop a portion of the area for recreational development, it would certainly cost more than $1,000,” he said.

Council settled on $4,000 per dwelling unit. The money would be earmarked for recreational purposes.