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Council pauses hiring of full-time police officer amid stormwater repair cost concerns
Summary
Councilors said unexpected stormwater repair costs influenced their decision not to hire another full-time officer; Mayor Robert Wolf urged informing the candidate and the police chief had provided a June report.
Union City Borough councilors on July 23 discussed but did not approve hiring another full-time police officer, citing concerns about pending stormwater repairs and the unexpected costs those repairs might impose.
Mayor Robert Wolf said the borough "owes the candidate an explanation for having him go through all this testing and evaluations," and described the applicant as "a good candidate" who will continue testing in the consortium. The police chief had provided the department's June 2024 report earlier in the meeting.
Councilor Melissa Winkler said she had not been aware that council was considering hiring another officer and expressed concern about the financial implications of recent stormwater problems. Councilor James Kerns said the council's hesitation stemmed from broader budget uncertainty tied to stormwater repairs rather than objections to the candidate personally.
A member of the public, Jeremy Sterling of Centerville, asked the council to explain the decision not to hire an officer; councilors said they would discuss the matter later in the meeting. The minutes record that the council later entered an executive session to discuss personnel and contracts from 6:42 to 7:37 p.m.; no actions were taken in executive session.
The minutes do not record a formal vote on hiring or a final personnel decision; councilors recorded motions and votes on other agenda items during the same meeting.
