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Mayor, council cite stormwater costs in decision not to hire new full-time police officer
Summary
Mayor Robert Wolf said a candidate had completed testing and evaluations but councilors raised concerns about unexpected stormwater repair costs; councilors said the hiring decision was driven by the borough's pending stormwater expenses rather than the candidate's qualifications.
Mayor Robert Wolf pressed the council July 23 for clarity about why a motion to hire a new full-time police officer failed, saying the candidate had completed testing and evaluations and that the candidate preferred to work in a smaller department. The mayor said the borough owes the candidate an explanation after testing and evaluations.
Councilor Melissa Winkler said she was not aware that the borough was actively looking to hire another officer and expressed concern about the costs associated with recent stormwater issues. Councilor James Kerns said stormwater costs and the borough's pending stormwater repairs were the primary reasons the hiring motion did not pass, not concerns about the candidate himself. Jeremy Sterling, a resident, had earlier asked the council what would be the outcome of the decision not to hire and councilors said the topic would be discussed later in the meeting.
The Police Chief provided the June 2024 report; no further action to hire was recorded in the minutes. The minutes do not show a subsequent vote to reverse the hiring decision or a formal timeline to restart the hiring process. The meeting went into executive session after adjournment to discuss personnel and contracts; no action was taken in executive session.
Next steps on hiring were not specified in the minutes, and the borough did not record a formal hiring outcome on July 23.
