Employees expected back on the job Monday
BROWNSVILLE – The Brownsville Borough police and other employees will be back on the job as of Monday. All of the borough employees except the borough manager were laid off in early December because of financial problems.
Some employees have worked limited hours on an as-needed basis since then, but the police duties had remained in the hands of the state police throughout the layoff period.
“I think it’s made all in the community more aware that there’s not an endless supply of money,” said Jack Lawver, the council president.
A motion had been made to bring the police department back in February, but two council members had questioned whether the borough had enough money on hand to cover the expense of the salaries.
Lawver said it costs the borough $9,000 to $10,000 every two weeks with salary and benefits to keep all of the borough employees on payroll.
“We received $45,000 in tax money this month. I’d like to thank everyone who came forward to help the borough,” said Councilman John Hosler, who heads the finance committee.
Hosler said the borough currently has a balance of $29,609 in the general fund and $2,992 in the state liquid fuels fund, plus $40,000 untouched in a tax anticipation loan. Hosler said all regular bills and a $21,000 insurance bill have been paid to date.
There are approximately $13,000 worth of outstanding utility bills that will appear on next month’s bill list, Lawver said.
According to Lawver, extra payments are also being made on the outstanding balances for the fire hydrants and streetlights. He said the hydrant bill will be caught up by May and the streetlight bill will be caught up by July.
The motion to return the police officers to duty covers only two full-time officers. Councilman Robert Pritts suggested that the officers be used Tuesday through Saturday between noon and 4 a.m., the busiest times for police calls. The mayor will do the actual scheduling.
Council met in an hour-long executive session regarding a grievance filed by Teamsters Local 491 on behalf of Officer Kevin Harris, whose position was eliminated in December due to a lack of finances. Following the executive session, council voted to present a counter offer to the union regarding the grievance. Lawver, Tracy Zivkovich and Robert Pritts voted in favor of the motion, with Councilman Tom Bush, who is a part-time officer, abstaining. Councilmen John Hosler and Charles McMaster had left prior to the vote.
Council will be working with Mike Foreman of the state Department of Community and Economic Development on a financial evaluation of the past two years and financial projections for the next two years. Lawver said the review should help the borough identify sources of revenue in addition to property taxes.