Council tabled police hire but approved retroactive appointment of code enforcement officer amid residency objection

At its July 9 meeting, Union City Borough Council did not hire a recommended full-time police officer but did approve a retroactive appointment for the code enforcement position.

Police Chief David Pernice told council he recommended hiring Kenneth Fye as a full-time officer, saying Fye passed civil service testing and a background check and earned favorable comments in the chief’s review. The Civil Service Commission provided a certified list with only one candidate who met testing and background requirements and recommended Fye. Councilor Steadman moved to hire Fye, but the motion “failed for a second” and therefore died; council did not record a reason and Chief Pernice later asked for clarification so the applicant could be notified.

Separately, the Personnel Committee recommended Mark Zigler as code enforcement officer. The council voted to appoint Zigler retroactively; Councilor Osborn moved and Councilor Joyce seconded the motion. Councilor Uber opposed the appointment, citing a residency concern, but the motion passed.

The meeting minutes state Zigler is available for training beginning July 12 and would be able to start actual duties on July 29. The council did not provide further detail about terms, salary, or whether the police hiring issue will be reconsidered at a specified future meeting.

Next steps recorded in the minutes: the police hiring issue will be revisited at an upcoming meeting, and the borough will onboard Zigler with training as noted in the personnel report.