Council pauses police hiring amid stormwater repair concerns; streets supervisor reports dye entering sanitary lines

Union City Borough Councilors discussed plans for hiring an additional full-time police officer at the July 23 meeting but took no formal action, saying concerns about pending stormwater repairs and unexpected costs influenced the decision.

Mayor Robert Wolf said the candidate "is a good candidate" and deserves an explanation after undergoing testing and evaluations; he noted the candidate will continue testing in the consortium. Councilor Melissa Winkler said she was not aware the borough was actively looking to hire another officer and expressed concern about the costs associated with recent stormwater issues. Councilor James Kerns also said stormwater problems and unexpected expenses played a role in the decision not to proceed at this time.

Separately, Streets Supervisor Bob Phillips reviewed options and quotes for sinkhole and storm sewer repair and reported that crews had placed 400 gallons of dye into the storm drain near Hogan's Alley; the dye is entering sanitary lines that run to Municipal Lot #1. Phillips said he is arranging camera inspections and noted it would be useful to camera up to the area near the Salvation Army to inspect subsurface conditions (comment attributed to Riley).

Earlier in the meeting, visitors raised related concerns: Anthony Hickey asked for an update on his property but was told there was no update from PennDOT, and Jeremy Sterling asked about the council's earlier decision not to hire another police officer; council said it would be discussed later in the meeting. The council adjourned at 6:38 P.M.; an executive session on personnel and contracts followed with no action taken.