Mayor and council cite stormwater costs after motion to hire police officer failed

The Union City Borough council revisited a recently failed motion to hire another full-time police officer during its July 23 meeting, with the mayor and several councilors framing the decision around budgetary concerns tied to stormwater repairs.

Mayor Robert Wolf said the borough owes the candidate an explanation after the hiring motion failed, noting that both he and the police chief had expressed a desire for an additional full-time officer. "We owe the candidate an explanation for having him go through all this testing and evaluations," Wolf said.

Councilor Melissa Winkler said she was not aware a hire was being pursued and voiced concern about the costs associated with recent stormwater issues. Councilor James Kerns echoed those concerns, saying the council’s hesitancy was driven by pending stormwater work and the unexpected costs that could follow rather than objections to the candidate’s qualifications.

The minutes record that the Police Chief provided the June 2024 report; no further questions about that report were recorded. There was no recorded motion or vote at this meeting to reverse or reinstate the hiring decision. The council moved on to other business after discussing staffing and infrastructure priorities.

Next steps and context

Council discussion tied hiring deliberations to imminent infrastructure needs: Streets Supervisor Bob Phillips outlined storm sewer repair options and an upcoming camera inspection to locate defects. The minutes do not record any further personnel action; an executive session on personnel and contracts followed at the end of the night with no action taken.