Police face cutbacks in budget in Sharon

By Jeanne Starmack

The police chief would do without new flooring, but would like communications upgrades.

SHARON, Pa. — City council had the first of two public hearings on the mayor’s proposed 2009 budget, spending a good deal of time analyzing police department expenses.

Council met with several department heads in its chambers Wednesday, including police Chief Michael Menster.

Council went over budget items and salaries to see what can be slashed from the $1.65 million police budget, as it will do with each department to try to eliminate or reduce the need for a 10 percent property tax increase in a budget that now totals $7.65 million. Without the tax increase, said Mayor Bob Lucas, there will be a $380,000 shortfall.

For the police department, which is short-handed and hoping to add two officers to bring the department back up to full staff at 28, cuts are going to include a reduction in hours for clerks. The department’s two full-time clerks will see their hours cut from eight- to seven-hour days.

The mayor wants to take $46,000 in federal money the city uses for extra police patrols in what’s called Zone 5, a high-crime area near Farrell, and incorporate it into regular police wages. He said that the money will stretch further in regular wages instead of in overtime.

Council President Victor Heutsche said, however, that he’s worried the money won’t be able to be used that way.

“I believe we have the right to schedule however we want,” Lucas replied, adding that they could schedule an officer to work in Zone 5 on a regular shift.

“But I’m afraid they won’t allow it,” Heutsche said.

“We’ll work it out so it won’t be illegal,” Lucas said. “The last thing we want to do is lose that $46,000.”

Council also questioned why Menster wants an increase in the budget for shooting practice. He said that he would like to reintroduce a night-time, or low-light session.

“We’ll reinstitute it — if we can,” he said.

Menster also discussed an idea for a 10-member, unpaid police auxiliary whose members could be called out to direct traffic when streetlights aren’t working or who could work at parades.

He said the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has training on how to direct traffic, and the auxiliary officers could be certified.

Lucas said he believes the impact on insurance rates, if any, would be minimal.

“Small Ships Revue and whatnot — it would save us some money,” he said.

Heutsche said he is also concerned about waste in officers’ court time.

“Two or three officers sit around for half a day, and the case pleads out,” he said.

Menster said that if an officer isn’t there when a case is called, there are problems.

He said that he would talk to the district attorney to see if there’s a solution.

Menster also said a priority would be upgrades to the department’s communications system. He said an agency called the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center analyzed Sharon’s system at no cost, and recommended upgrades that would cost $14,000.

A wish list of painting, flooring and plumbing projects in the department, Menster said, is not as important. “We can survive without those things.”

The next public hearing on the budget will be 4:30 p.m. Dec. 8 in council chambers at the city building on Connelly Boulevard.