New Freedom council debates capping Southern Regional Police contribution; motion fails

New Freedom Borough Council met Monday to consider a proposed cap on the borough’s municipal contribution to the Southern Regional Police Department (SRPD) for budget year 2027. The motion, offered by Speaker 2, would have limited New Freedom’s SRPD payment to $875,000 while asking SRPD to budget within that cap.

The proposal prompted a wide-ranging debate about department staffing, overtime and the effect of collective bargaining on long-term costs. Speaker 2 said the cap was intended to pressure SRPD to find efficiencies — “you need to manage your overtime budget a little tighter,” Speaker 2 said — while other council members warned of possible service reductions and the operational impacts of losing officers.

Councilors pressed for more detailed financial information from SRPD. Multiple members requested a monthly financial statement, a breakdown of budgeted overtime, and a list of officer positions and counts so they could assess whether the department could meet a lower contribution without degrading public safety. Speaker 6 asked specifically for “a list of all the officers and their positions,” and Speaker 8 noted the need to compare regional pay to understand why salaries have climbed.

Several speakers highlighted trade-offs. One councilor noted the borough’s overtime line is budgeted at roughly $194,000 and said some overtime is unavoidable because of court obligations; another warned that reducing officers could increase response times. Outside factors such as reserve refunds used to temper this year’s increase and county reassessment practices also featured in the discussion.

After the debate, a motion to cap the borough’s SRPD contribution at $875,000 failed on a show-of-hands vote; the council did not adopt the cap. Council members agreed to keep the item on next month’s agenda and to request more detailed SRPD financials and positional data before considering a formal cap or other changes.