Council pauses plan to hire new full-time officer amid stormwater cost concerns

A motion to hire a new full-time police officer drew questions and did not move forward at the July 23 Union City Borough Council meeting as members said concerns about stormwater repair costs influenced their decision.

Jeremy Sterling of Centerville asked the council about its decision not to hire another officer earlier in the meeting. Mayor Robert Wolf said the borough should explain to the candidate why the hiring process did not proceed, stating, "We owe the candidate an explanation for having him go through all this testing and evaluations." Wolf and the police chief said the candidate "is a good candidate and will be testing in the consortium."

Councilor Melissa Winkler said she "wasn’t aware that we were looking to hire another officer" and expressed concern about the costs tied to recent stormwater issues. Councilor James Kerns agreed that the stormwater problems and the unexpected costs were central to the council’s hesitation, stressing the decision was related to pending stormwater expenditures rather than the candidate’s qualifications.

The police chief provided the June 2024 report; council had no questions about the report. Earlier public commenters had also raised property and policing questions: Anthony Hickey sought an update on a property matter and Jeremy Sterling pressed the council for clarity about staffing.

Council did not adopt a hiring motion at the meeting. The candidate referenced by the mayor will proceed with consortium testing; council members indicated the hiring matter could be revisited after financial and infrastructure issues are addressed. The meeting adjourned at 6:38 P.M.; an executive session on personnel and contracts followed with no action taken.