Millville commissioner urges urgent settlement of labor contracts, cites police shortages

Commissioner Hewitt said at the Millville City work session that the police department is “severely hindered by a shortage of manpower” and urged the commission to prioritize settling labor contracts so the city can retain and recruit officers.

Hewitt said officers have left for other agencies and cited injuries, retirements and a “relatively new law regarding child bonding time” as contributing factors to vacancies. He added that the department has consolidated duties and compelled officers to work mandatory overtime to provide minimum service to the community. “For every loss of an officer, it takes at least 10 months to retrain a new one,” Hewitt said.

Hewitt recommended that the commission develop a plan to fund the city’s future staffing needs and suggested a long-term approach that could include raising taxes as new business-generated revenue develops. He said competitive compensation is necessary to attract officers who otherwise “will not do so without fair compensation.”

Other commissioners agreed with Hewitt’s assessment of parade operations and the need to address police staffing; no formal motion or vote on contract terms occurred during the work session.

The commission did not adopt any contracts or specific pay proposals in the work session. Commissioners and staff indicated continued discussion is expected during regular session and with labor negotiators; no timetable or dollar figures for contract settlements were provided at this meeting.

The work session also included brief remarks about recent community events, and the commissioners closed without taking formal action on contract settlements.