Council questions hiring a new full-time police officer amid rising stormwater repair costs

Councilors and the mayor discussed the borough’s recent decision not to hire an additional full-time police officer during the July 23 meeting, but no formal hiring action was recorded.

Mayor Robert Wolf said the borough owes the candidate an explanation after the candidate completed testing and evaluations, adding that the candidate 'is a good candidate and will be testing in the consortium.' Wolf and the police chief had discussed the borough’s need for another full-time officer, he said.

Councilor Melissa Winkler said she was not aware the council was seeking to hire another officer and voiced concern about costs related to recent stormwater issues. Councilor James Kerns also cited the stormwater-related costs as a concern, and council agreed the decision was influenced by pending stormwater repairs and unexpected expenses rather than the candidate’s qualifications.

Visitor Jeremy Sterling questioned council about the decision and asked what the outcome would be; councilors indicated the matter would be discussed in the meeting but no subsequent motion to hire was recorded in the minutes. The minutes do not include a formal vote on hiring, nor do they provide a final determination or schedule for revisiting the staffing question.

The minutes show the council moved forward that evening on stormwater repairs and related contractor selections, which councilors cited as a financial consideration in their hiring deliberations. No personnel action was taken in open session; an executive session followed later to discuss personnel and contracts with no action taken.