SUMMERDALE — The Summerdale Town Council will revisit its burn-permit ordinance at its next regular meeting Monday night.

Summerdale Mayor brought the issue up at Tuesday’s Council workshop.

“Currently, we’re having problems with who issues burn permits,” he said.

Wilson explained that the problem recently came to his attention.

“We had a situation a couple of weeks ago,” the mayor said, adding that the ordinance stipulates that brush cannot be burned within 10 feet of a house or the road within Summerdale municipal limits. “He asked the fire chief, and he said, go ahead and burn it. You can’t do that. We have a system in place.”

That system includes regulations that requires brush that is cleared from property to be burned at least 350 feet from a dwelling or the road. But first, a municipal permit to do so must be obtained.

“You’ve got to have a permit to start any kind of fire in Summerdale,” Wilson said. “This ordinance has been in place since ’06.”

He said that also goes for contractors who wish to burn refuse accumulated when building within the town.

However, Wilson said, the system currently states that the Alabama Forestry Commission and Summerdale Fire Chief John Resmondo are the only ones authorized to issue permits. But problems occur when Resmondo is not available to issue permits and when he does not enforce the town ordinance.

“There are fires going on in the town very frequently, with people burning leaves,” Summerdale Councilwoman Norma Wilson Giles added. “Enforcement is pretty discriminatory.”

Wilson added that such an ordinance was necessary because smoke from fires can aggravate respiratory issues. Members of the Summerdale Volunteer Fire Department at the meeting also pointed out that periodically the Alabama Forestry Commission does not allow burning anywhere in Alabama because weather conditions make it a potential danger.

In addition, Wilson and Summerdale Town Clerk Tiffany Lynn explained that to apply for a permit, they only need to call Town Hall and she would fill one out for them. Wilson also suggested that Summerdale Public Works Director Lee Irwin be added to the list of those allowed to issue burn permits.

The discussion ended with Wilson asking those Summerdale firefighters present to take a copy of the burn ordinance to the Fire Department meeting later in the week and discuss the issue before the Council addresses it Monday.