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Union City council debates hiring full-time police officer amid stormwater cost concerns
Summary
Mayor Robert Wolf and councilors debated why a recent motion to hire a full-time officer failed; councilors cited recent stormwater repairs and unexpected infrastructure costs as factors in hesitation and said the candidate will continue testing.
Mayor Robert Wolf asked council to clarify why a motion to hire a new full-time police officer failed and said the borough "owes the candidate an explanation" after the applicant completed testing and evaluations. Wolf said the candidate preferred a smaller department and would continue testing in the consortium.
Councilor Melissa Winkler and Councilor James Kerns said they were concerned about recent stormwater problems and the unplanned costs they had created, and that those budget pressures contributed to hesitation about adding a full-time officer. Visitor Jeremy Sterling had earlier questioned the council about the staffing decision and was told the matter would be discussed later in the meeting.
The Police Chief provided the June 2024 report; no formal motion to hire was recorded in the minutes and the council did not adopt new police staffing at this meeting. Council directed no formal next steps in the minutes beyond acknowledging that the candidate remains in the testing process and that the council would discuss staffing.
