Brownsville council discusses K-9 funds
BROWNSVILLE — Borough council discussed the costs and use of the police department’s K-9 patrol vehicle Tuesday.
Councilman Ross Swords Jr. asked Councilman John Hosler, who was absent from last month’s meeting, why a $400 bill for repairs to the vehicle was placed in the K-9 fund and not the fund for police vehicle repairs.
Hosler, who handled the bill, responded that the K-9 program is not supposed to be funded with borough taxpayers’ dollars, and that the K-9 car should be used only to transport the drug-sniffing dog and not for transport outside of the borough or to officers’ homes.
Swords and Councilwoman Tracy Sheehan Zivkovich argued that it is a common practice for K-9 officers elsewhere to take K-9 patrol vehicles home. Councilman Jack Lawver said that council will have to be more careful putting line items in the next borough budget and determining where money for the police department and K-9 unit will come from.
The discussion followed a similar question from Swords at last month’s meeting regarding how borough council pays bills related to the K-9 unit.
In other business, Lawver reported that Trek Development Group, a Pittsburgh-based real estate development firm, plans to convert the abandoned Union Station building into 24 housing units for income levels ranging from $18,000 to $20,000. Council passed a motion to support the recommendation of the planning commission and submit a redevelopment application to the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency.
Lawver also reported that the National Road Heritage Corridor requested that council support it in writing a grant for the borough that would benefit the Brownsville Public Library and creek rehabilitation efforts.
Later, Lawver noted that the borough of California had recently purchased public surveillance cameras at a cost of $19,000 and that he would like Brownsville to be the first borough in Fayette County to install widespread public surveillance cameras.
“When your police departments are dwindling, cameras are your eyes out there,” Lawver said.
Mayor Lester Ward announced that October will be Domestic Violence Awareness month and that he will be the point person for the borough regarding supply of free awareness materials such as car magnets, bracelets, lapel pins and flyers.