Summit Hill Borough Council passed a budget on Tuesday that will retain current tax rates as well as the present garbage collection fee.

The council also agreed to impose a sewage transmission fee of $100 per year and increase the annual service tax to $50. The service tax is charged to individuals who work within the borough.

The budget is balanced at $1,651,016 and is based on 21.25 mills. Of this, 19.25 mills are for general purposes, 1.5 mills are for street lighting, and 0.5 mills are for fire allocation.

Council member Lacey Gonzalez said the garbage rates are $60 per quarter, or $240 for the year.

She said that the current garbage collecting contract with Tamaqua Transfer is a five-year pact that expires at the end of 2025. As a result, she said bids will be sought later in the year for a new contract that would take effect in 2026.

The sewage transmission fee will be $100 per equivalent dwelling unit, with the same rate charged for residents and businesses. It will be the responsibility of the property owner to make the payment. A 10% late fee will be assessed if the fee is not paid on time.

In addition, when the fee isn’t paid, water can be shut off to the premises, with the reconnections costing $50. Attorney fees also could be added if the fee continues to be ignored.

Joseph Weber, a member of the council, said the sewage transmission fee is being levied to establish a fund for future sewage system repairs.

He said the borough is under a moratorium by the state Department of Environmental Protection on new connections and the only way the moratorium can be lifted is with system improvements.

He said if the borough does not address the matter, there’s a possibility the state can take over the finances of the borough regarding sewage.

In one Schuylkill County community, Weber said, the state took such action and sewer fees tripled in one month from what those residents had been paying quarterly.

“We need funds to get grants and end the moratorium,” Weber said. He added that a reserve of such funds is necessary to qualify for government grants.

The borough is part of the Coaldale-Lansford-Summit Hill Joint Sewer Authority, with the borough in charge of maintaining its own sewage system.

Council members said other communities that are members of the authority have transmission fees in place already.

Wargo said one option to updating the sewage system would be to line the pipes with some sort of substance, but it will still cost several million dollars.

“There’s a significant investment that has to be made because it has been a long time since something has been done,” Wargo said.

Regarding the service tax, the council noted in past meetings that this rate is the same that is charged by most other municipalities.

Other matters

In other business, the council has scheduled a special meeting for 8 a.m. on Dec. 23 for the passage of three ordinances. They are the special purpose parking ordinance; parks ordinance, which sets a fee for renting a building in Ginder Park; and a rental inspection ordinance. It is planned for all three ordinances to take effect Jan. 1.

In one other action, the council passed a resolution requiring parallel parking along the south side of the 200 block of West Ludlow Street — by the borough park — from Jan. 1 to March 31. Currently, angle parking is permitted.

The change is being done on an experimental basis to see how it affects the area. After 90 days, the matter will be re-evaluated.

The council agreed to continue meeting on the second Tuesday of each month in 2025. However, the meetings will have a starting time of 6 p.m. The meetings currently begin at 7 p.m.

The Zoning Hearing Board will meet the second Wednesday of each month, as needed, at 7 p.m.

The Planning Commission meetings will be on the third Wednesday of each month.