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Councilors question hiring new police officer amid stormwater repair cost concerns
Summary
Union City Mayor said the borough owes an explanation to a police candidate who completed testing; several councilors said recent stormwater repair costs influenced hesitation to add a full-time officer, and no final hiring decision was made.
Councilors at a July 23 Union City Borough meeting debated whether to proceed with hiring a full-time police officer, but took no formal action.
Mayor Robert Wolf told the council the borough "owes the candidate an explanation" after the candidate completed testing and evaluations and said the candidate would test in the consortium. Wolf described the candidate as qualified and said he and the police chief had discussed the borough’s need for an additional full-time officer.
Councilor Melissa Winkler said she had not been aware that the borough was looking to hire another officer and raised concerns about costs tied to recent stormwater problems. Councilor James Kerns echoed concerns about the stormwater repairs and unexpected expenditures, and council members generally framed their hesitancy as driven by budgetary uncertainty rather than the candidate’s qualifications.
Public comment included a question from Jeremy Sterling about the council’s earlier decision not to hire another officer; councilors said the topic would be discussed later in the meeting. The Police Chief presented the June 2024 report; there were no follow-up questions recorded.
No motion to hire a new officer was approved at the meeting; the item remains under discussion and may be revisited once the council has clearer information on stormwater repair costs and other fiscal impacts.
