[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6469098,"mediaKeyId","5781231-6473da870affe2630680506ea6524179","parentId",5781231,"title","Council names Kenneth Michael Schaeffer as Saint Marys chief of police, effective Jan. 1, 2026","audioSeconds",140,"startMs",1879000,"endMs",2019000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5781231-6473da870affe2630680506ea6524179&start=1879&end=2019","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5781231-6473da870affe2630680506ea6524179/thumbnail_1879000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6469098/Pennsylvania/Council-names-Kenneth-Michael-Schaeffer-as-Saint-Marys-chief-of-police-effective-Jan-1-2026","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6469098-1d49c99384381d38a130640e43869875/orig.mp4?Expires=1773569907&Signature=SUu8fNb~ig-zThPKhfUyFIeagRbx3hS2sARZD5akx~iZIX83inekkSVvrsJ6rdkoILpJ57DZNZ5XarywlugiiQNpNqMpn4WULxYmcc2k86kbfVG9r4qvOjhSu7~rRv9ukwI5SulWB3IoKUSUkvKf33ROZx8~3XjFT5n~sWSf-z0lOzxMVNFWBLROIj5ViRDPHNpI1UnPRA3dNwHbWQNg9LhCZThBjHwOAJ6pUf-3qOfS3c7QR017NXbdS~gcB4XL7a9ztHKRhY76a9iiGotABRrmx8~iI8amplDrRbap9o99jBNalS~V6e7Hgg~Y8iAsYZkNrlc7gdT3egDhIBrIqQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Of St. Marys, PA","date","2025-09-16T02:02:00Z","article","The City Council of Saint Marys voted to appoint Kenneth Michael Schaeffer as chief of police, effective Jan. 1, 2026. City staff recommended Schaeffer after an internal selection process following Chief Tom Nicholas’s retirement at the end of the year.

Joe introduced the recommendation and described Schaeffer’s qualifications: \"Sergeant Schaeffer brings over 21 years of law enforcement experience, including the past 17 years serving the residents of the city of Saint Mary's,\" Joe said. The presentation noted Schaeffer’s supervisory experience and that he has served as the department’s canine handler.

Council voted by motion and voice vote to confirm the appointment. The council recorded the effective date as Jan. 1, 2026, and planned the swearing-in at the council reorganization meeting on Jan. 5, 2026.

Why this matters: leadership of the police department affects public-safety operations, departmental priorities and community-policing relationships. The appointment continues an internal promotion from within the department.

Details:
- Appointee: Kenneth Michael Schaeffer (sergeant; department canine handler).
- Effective date: Jan. 1, 2026.
- Swearing-in: scheduled for the City Council reorganization meeting on Jan. 5, 2026.
- Vote: motion by Tony, seconded by Ned; approved by voice vote.

Ending: Council expressed support for the new chief and asked staff to complete the administrative steps required for transition and the Jan. 5 formal swearing-in.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council Meeting 9-15-25","oneSentenceSummary","The City Council appointed Sergeant Kenneth Michael Schaeffer as the next chief of police, citing 21 years of law-enforcement experience and a long record of service in the city; the appointment takes effect Jan. 1, 2026, with swearing in at the Jan. 5 reorganization meeting.","taxTitle","Saint Marys, Elk County, Pennsylvania","taxId",60987,"location","Pennsylvania","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6469102,"Council approves Goodwill land-development plan with condition to screen view behind Deckers Chapel",583,1277000,1860000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5781231-6473da870affe2630680506ea6524179&start=1277&end=1860","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5781231-6473da870affe2630680506ea6524179/thumbnail_1277000.jpg","/articles/6469102/Pennsylvania/Council-approves-Goodwill-land-development-plan-with-condition-to-screen-view-behind-Deckers-Chapel","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6469102-01b475a78bb84901a32532929727190e/orig.mp4?Expires=1773569907&Signature=K42v6eCZfxcbOTNGMx8VyXGPDQA81F1uXCktseD-71JppFFMbO4It9X1KgtM6ZKMquELkpvea8adid6FfJ6nBzgrG4XwSaa57RRb4DCOM~NM42j1szBGqYb~hShr256iO~RKyEKrcny-Bj8SdGmlFMb1guiNnHSDxEUHJmyZNs8mgW2qIfocFdYDHagnt~vGzuTHGYLAq62EOxOzfaXRxAD8pBHAo51G4viAjkHPsEAm0QaI1aUZ~BSqhgsuk9lygen8cBN5zyZR3m45Udve6noSOLSgJPuuZHZE-iOElyS8wGfKK7m1SIzJVTACfQSM-N6TINtznEAimwTZgfk7Ag__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The City Council of Saint Marys approved the Goodwill land-development review (agenda item 2025-09) with a condition requiring view-shed mitigation behind Deckers Chapel.

Goodwill’s applicant representative described plans for a new site on the edge of town. Council members raised concerns about the move from a downtown location, pedestrian access and the visual impact of a steel building and a stormwater pond behind Deckers Chapel. One council member said the chapel is a historic local site often photographed by visitors and asked that the new development provide screening or landscaping so the chapel’s view-shed is preserved.

\"It's one of the few historic sites that we have. Tourists do put it on their list as a must do if you're going to this area,\" a council member said during discussion on the record. The applicant responded that the pond area would not be left to overgrow and that landscaping could be considered; planners noted a 90-day review window from the application date but preferred to approve the application to avoid delaying the project.

Council ultimately moved to approve the application with a condition to provide \"some type of view shed or coverage for behind Deckers Chapel,\" and the motion passed by voice vote. Council and staff discussed practical planting options (for example, fast-growing evergreen screening) and the applicant said they owned the downtown building and were preparing a project timeline.

Why this matters: The condition ties an approved land use to a mitigation measure meant to protect a locally valued historic view and to moderate the visual impact of the development on a nearby public site.

Details and context:
- Project: Goodwill Land Development Review (agenda item 2025-09).
- Condition added by council: provide landscaping/visual screening behind Deckers Chapel to reduce the visual impact of the new building and to screen a stormwater pond.
- Timing: Planning staff noted a 90-day review period from the date of application; the applicant requested approval that night to avoid delaying the project.
- Council discussion touched on parking and walkability concerns for patrons previously served from a downtown site; the applicant said the new site should be adequate and that the donor/donation handling would be part of the new facility.

Ending: Planning staff will include the view-shed/landscaping condition in the approval package and follow up with specifics on plant types, heights and maintenance requirements during permit review.","The council approved Goodwill’s land-development review (2025-09) but added a condition asking for landscaping or other visual buffering behind Deckers Chapel and screening around a stormwater pond.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6469107,"Council approves finance, development and personnel measures in series of voice votes",122,87000,209000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5781231-6473da870affe2630680506ea6524179&start=87&end=209","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5781231-6473da870affe2630680506ea6524179/thumbnail_87000.jpg","/articles/6469107/Pennsylvania/Council-approves-finance-development-and-personnel-measures-in-series-of-voice-votes","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6469107-13e8cade599a9ad423d7591246755a38/orig.mp4?Expires=1773569907&Signature=h0ij4nZQLT8i5xHw3QocxRh3HeOJIZRAYtWjiTWK-bBPYl8fFzh-BSfoTKk81TwJdRcT~rkVR42IfC0Zgoa~-~3ZT8xXEAc8922z2TkohjQYuNVlLZB3UwEegWXQj9bqxylmD0u0pBtFPc96ioTlHs1Jy1i8KCEeQyoyc7ps9jflh67Wx7qR4LohZuVAriSFEwy-f-AmeCRJw7KpE2lloVrTqg2-Ys6bqJ8mxTcMBEhnXiA1aOnfqddFbxdlT0U84TUczPfWCvZ~5vz4FDqZHUuUUCJMVI6U2v9UlSgdIguYSrtVXI67fP-QKdmlwvOikH76~5EqLIcEMxR4hxEQIQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The City Council of Saint Marys approved a bundle of finance, development and personnel measures during its meeting, including authorization for a third-party tax collector, an assignment of an investment-advisory contract, pension funding for 2026, an unrestricted fund-balance transfer, multiple CDBG actions and land-development approvals, and the appointment of a new police chief.

Councilors moved quickly through several routine and substantive items. Treasurer Matt reported fiscal-year-to-date numbers for general-fund revenue and expenditures and then the council handled a sequence of resolutions and motions that passed by voice vote. \"Total revenue for the general fund as of 08/31/2025 is at 6,200,000.0 or 69% of the budget,\" Matt said in his report. Joe summarized an assignment request from an investment adviser and described the proposed change in parent ownership while saying that operational relationships with the adviser would not change.

Why this matters: the approvals affect city fiscal operations, pension funding, use of federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) dollars and local land-development approvals that have neighborhood impact.

What the council approved (selected items):
- Resolution 25-10 (authorizing the finance director as liaison with Berkheimer/Berkheimer to handle local-service-tax matters) — motion made and approved by voice vote.
- Resolution 25-11 (assignment of investment advisory contract from CS McGee to its new parent/holding company) — presented by Joe and approved by voice vote.
- 2026 minimum municipal obligation (pension): council approved contributions into the non-uniform pension plan, described in the meeting as $620,000 with an increase of $11,870 from the prior figure as stated during discussion.
- Unrestricted fund-balance transfer for infrastructure — approved by motion and voice vote.
- Approval for Berkheimer to collect the city’s local service tax (LST) — approved by motion and voice vote; council discussed that Berkheimer would handle mailings and electronic processing and that some employers remit the LST in installments.
- 2023 CDBG modification (Memorial Park): council approved a grant modification to remove two specific spots and repave those areas so the project could meet ADA elements for the lot.
- 2025 CDBG tentative projects: council approved the tentative project list as presented.
- Land development reviews (Snappy, Goodwill): both were approved; Goodwill’s approval included a council condition on view-shed/landscaping behind Deckers Chapel (see separate article).
- Appointment of Kenneth Michael Schaeffer as chief of police, effective Jan. 1, 2026, with swearing in at the Jan. 5, 2026 reorganization meeting — approved by motion and voice vote.

Many approvals were acted on by motion with a second and concluded with the clerk or mayor calling for \"All those in favor? Aye. All those opposed? The ayes have it,\" indicating voice votes rather than recorded roll-call tallies.

Council members and staff emphasized that some changes (for example, the investment-adviser assignment) would not alter day-to-day service or management of the city’s pension plans. On the local-service-tax collection, staff and council discussed that some employers remit the LST in multiple installments, and that Berkheimer was viewed as having more modern processing technology than the current local collector.

The council set no additional implementation deadlines at the meeting beyond the effective date for the chief of police and routine timelines for CDBG project administration.

Ending: The meeting concluded after citizen comments and council announcements; the next scheduled council meeting was listed as Oct. 20, 2025.","The Saint Marys City Council approved a set of resolutions and land-development items, accepted an investment-advisory assignment, approved pension funding and fund transfers, and confirmed a police chief appointment. Several items were approved by voice vote or motion without roll-call tallies.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Council names Kenneth Michael Schaeffer as Saint Marys chief of police, effective Jan. 1, 2026

Council approves Goodwill land-development plan with condition to screen view behind Deckers Chapel

Council approves finance, development and personnel measures in series of voice votes