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Council delays hiring decision for full‑time officer as stormwater costs weigh on budget
Summary
Mayor Robert Wolf and councilors discussed a candidate who completed testing but did not move forward with hiring; councilors cited concerns about unexpected stormwater repair costs as a factor and said the candidate will be testing in the consortium. No hiring vote was taken.
Union City Borough Council discussed whether to hire an additional full‑time police officer during its July 23 meeting but did not take formal action, citing budget uncertainty tied to recent stormwater repair needs.
Mayor Robert Wolf said the borough “owes the candidate an explanation for having him go through all this testing and evaluations,” and described the applicant as a strong candidate who prefers a smaller department; the minutes state the candidate will be testing in the consortium. Several councilors raised budgetary concerns related to recent and pending stormwater work.
Councilor Melissa Winkler said she was unaware the borough was seeking another officer and expressed concern about hiring costs given recent stormwater issues. Councilor James Kerns echoed concerns about the stormwater costs and indicated the hesitation was about fiscal timing rather than the candidate personally. Jeremy Sterling, a resident from Centerville, asked council what the outcome would be; council told him the matter would be discussed later.
The Police Chief provided the June 2024 report to council; no questions were recorded. The minutes show council chose not to proceed to a hiring motion at this meeting. An executive session later addressed personnel and contracts, and the minutes note no action was taken during the session.
Next steps: Council will revisit the hiring question after further discussion and as budget impacts from stormwater repairs become clearer.
