Union City Council hires part-time police officer and approves sinkhole repairs, easements and small property purchase

The Union City Borough Council voted on Aug. 13, 2024, to hire Kenneth Fye from the certified civil service list as a part-time police officer and approved a package of municipal repairs, easements and small property transactions at a meeting held at First Global Methodist Church.

The hire, moved by Councilor Matt Joyce and seconded by Councilor Osborn, passed unanimously. Borough Manager Cindy Wells told council the budget had allowed at least $33,560 for wages and benefits and that the final cost for a part-time officer would depend on assigned hours; Mayor Robert Wolf had urged retaining a police department and recommended the part-time hire to increase coverage.

Police Chief David Pernice reviewed recent public-safety activity, saying the department handled 269 calls between June 1 and Aug. 13 (about 3.63 calls per day) spanning pursuits, protection-from-abuse orders, warrants, domestic incidents, drug activity and homelessness. Pernice said he and an officer attended active-shooter training in late July and that the UC Community Foundation awarded grants for four tasers and for additional security cameras on North Main Street.

Streets Supervisor Bob Phillips described a sinkhole at Municipal Lot #1 that has damaged a 24-inch clay tile and a nearby manhole; consultant Bob Carpenter of Insight and engineer Tim Wells recommended replacing the 24-inch tile, reconnecting pipes, installing a larger catch basin and replacing roughly 10 feet of pipe. Council approved hiring Mansfield to perform the work at a cost of $22,295 (motion by Councilor Steadman, seconded by Councilor Osborn; unanimous).

Council also addressed several property and infrastructure items. It retroactively approved an easement with property owner Anthony Hickey at 104 East High Street to allow the borough to install a catch basin that will connect with a PennDOT-installed basin, with the property owner responsible for a connecting ditch and the borough accepting responsibility for the two basins and roughly 60 feet of pipe (motion by Councilor Osborn, seconded by Councilor Kerns; unanimous). The solicitor will prepare the formal easement agreement.

Other approved items included the following: council signed a subdivision combining portions of 92 West High Street with 88 and 90 West High Street (motion by Councilor Osborn, seconded by Councilor Kerns; unanimous); the borough retroactively authorized purchasing a small parcel adjacent to Municipal Lot #3 from 8 South Street for $500 pending survey and solicitor paperwork (motion by Councilor Joyce, seconded by Councilor Kerns; unanimous); and Council approved an easement with the American Legion to install and maintain a kayak/canoe launch on French Creek, a project funded by the PA Fish and Boat Commission and the PA Environmental Council (motion by Councilor Osborn, seconded by Councilor Joyce; unanimous).

Borough Manager Cindy Wells reported the TA set-aside sidewalk project remains in progress, and council agreed to change its regular meeting days to the first and third Mondays of each month at 6:30 p.m. from September through April; the next scheduled meetings are Aug. 27, 2024 and Sept. 16, 2024 because of Labor Day.

Council approved the 2025 Minimum Municipal Obligation for the non-uniform pension at $48,029 and recorded $0 for the police pension, and the meeting adjourned at 7:06 p.m.; council then met in executive session from 7:06 p.m. to 7:52 p.m. to discuss personnel and contract matters with no action taken.

Votes at a glance: approval of the corrected agenda (Joyce/Kerns, unanimous); approval of July 23 minutes (Kerns/Steadman, unanimous); hire of Kenneth Fye as part-time officer (Joyce/Osborn, unanimous); Mansfield contract for sinkhole repair $22,295 (Steadman/Osborn, unanimous); easement at 104 East High (Osborn/Kerns, unanimous); approval of MMO $48,029 non-uniform/$0 police (Joyce/Kerns, unanimous); subdivision approval for West High Street lots (Osborn/Kerns, unanimous); purchase of parcel from 8 South Street $500 (Joyce/Kerns, unanimous); easement with American Legion for boat launch (Osborn/Joyce, unanimous); adjournment (Joyce/Kerns, unanimous).