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Mayor and council debate hiring a full‑time police officer as stormwater costs factor into decision
Summary
Council discussed—but did not record a formal hiring vote for—a proposed full‑time police officer. Mayor Robert Wolf said the borough owes the candidate an explanation; several councilors cited recent stormwater problems and associated costs as reasons the hiring decision stalled.
Discussion about hiring a full‑time police officer took up part of the July 23 Union City Borough Council meeting. A Centerville resident asked why the council had not hired another officer; Mayor Robert Wolf and several councilors then discussed the candidate and the borough’s budgetary concerns.
Mayor Wolf said the borough owed the candidate an explanation after the applicant completed testing and evaluations and noted the candidate 'is a good candidate and will be testing in the consortium.' Councilor Melissa Winkler said she had not been aware the borough was seeking to hire another officer and expressed concern about costs in light of recent stormwater issues. Councilor James Kerns agreed that stormwater repair costs weighed on the hiring decision; the council characterized the hiring decision as affected by pending stormwater issues and the potential for unexpected costs.
The minutes record the exchange and the mayor’s request for clarity but do not list a formal vote count or the specific motion text that failed. The police chief provided the June report during the meeting; no questions were recorded on that report. The record shows councilors prioritized resolving stormwater infrastructure uncertainties before committing to new recurring personnel costs.
Next steps were not specified in the minutes beyond the mayor’s request that the candidate be given an explanation; the candidate was noted to be pursuing consortium testing.
