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Union City council delays hiring full‑time police officer amid stormwater repair cost concerns
Summary
Mayor Robert Wolf praised a candidate but councilors raised budgetary concerns tied to recent stormwater issues and unexpected repair costs; the council did not hire a new full-time officer and discussed next steps at the July 23 meeting.
Discussion about hiring an additional full-time police officer surfaced during the July 23 Union City Borough Council meeting but did not produce a hiring decision. Mayor Robert Wolf said the candidate "is a good candidate and will be testing in the consortium" and stated the borough owes the candidate an explanation after extensive testing and evaluations. Wolf and the Police Chief had previously discussed the borough's desire for another full-time officer.
Several councilors framed the decision in budgetary terms. Councilor Melissa Winkler said she was unaware the borough was looking to hire another officer and expressed concern about costs related to recent stormwater issues. Councilor James Kerns echoed concern over the stormwater expenses, and council members agreed the decision not to hire was tied to the pending stormwater repair needs and unexpected costs, not the candidate's qualifications.
The meeting record shows no formal vote to hire; subsequent agenda items addressed immediate capital needs, including a $5,000 contract acceptance for sinkhole and pipe repairs in Municipal Lot No. 1 and plans for camera inspection to locate where stormwater is entering sanitary lines. Those repair obligations and the contract award for the Devereaux Park/French Creek Trail project were approved at the same session.
Council did not take formal action to hire at the meeting; an executive session on personnel and contracts followed after adjournment, and the minutes record that no action was taken during that session.
The next procedural steps noted in the minutes were to proceed with the documented repairs and to communicate with the candidate about the borough's decision and any next steps; no timetable for re-opening hiring deliberations was specified in the meeting record.
