The question of whether Palmerton should look to be more proactive in its attempts to recruit part-time officers to its police force has come to the fore.

Resident Raberta Hans peppered borough council on Thursday with questions about the borough’s inability to attract part-time officers.

Hans began by asking council if in over the last five years, the police department has gone over budget with its expenses and their salaries.

Councilman Andrew Hollywood responded by telling Hans that was a hard question to answer on the spot.

Council President Terry Costenbader assured Hans that council could find that information out for her.

Hans asked what the borough provides its part-time officers in terms of equipment.

Costenbader said the borough provides part-time officers with uniforms, vests, duty weapons, and fills gaps for any equipment they may need.

Hans then questioned why a part-timer officer would work for 10% less than the guy next to them.

The salary for a part-time police officer is $29.36 per hour.

The current borough contract calls for $34.91 per hour after one year of service; $35.81 after two years and $36.70 after three years.

Hans said she’s aware that in the past three to four years, the borough has advertised for part-time officers.

She then pointed out that the borough recently went to arbitration and wasn’t successful on that front.

Borough Manager Autumn Canfield said that there were 41.7 labor attorney hours involved at the rate of $220 an hour.

Costenbader noted that the amount of overtime paid out in 2023 was $172,000.

Hans then asked whether that cost put the police department salary into the red.

“I can’t tell you that right now,” Costenbader said. “I don’t know.”

Canfield said the borough would have to pull budget to actuals to find that out.

She then stated that $140,000 was budgeted in that overtime line item.

“What’s the solution? Hans asked. “Is the borough looking at putting on another full-timer?

Part-time applicant

Councilman Kris Hoffner said that in the past two days, the borough has received one application for employment as a part-time officer.

Hans then asked if that one person would be enough to offset that $172,000 in overtime the borough paid out last year.

“We don’t seem to have a plan,” she said. “Do we need another full-time police officer?

“How many times are we going to advertise and get almost no hits until we change our plan? We need to fill these shifts on the police department.”

Hans about other options and Hollywood suggested that it could run with fewer officers. Or the cost is going to go up.

Hans retorted that fewer officers won’t solve the problem.

Hollywood told Hans that he appreciates her coming to the meetings and voicing her opinions.

“There’s been a lot of changes over the past four years,” she said. “We are the last cute little town.”

Hoffner noted that in the last five to seven years, the borough has created two additional full-time officer positions.

Costenbader reassured Hans that the concerns she expressed is something for council to consider.

Hans has routinely inquired about the labor dispute with the police department over the past few months.

In February, Hans questioned the police department’s overtime hours and a grievance filed on behalf of an officer regarding overtime pay.

Hans told council at that time her concerns stem from not only the amount of overtime hours police officers have been working, but also several grievances that had been filed since the start of the new year.

Earlier this month an arbitrator ruled in favor of the Palmerton Police Benevolent Association on several grievances that have been filed against the borough.

Canfield said that in January, a conflicting interpretation of contract language led to the filing of a grievance regarding overtime pay. She said the collective bargaining agreement says if a patrolman works in excess of his regular 10-hour shift, or 40 hours per week, would be one and one-half time his hourly rate.

In 2023, Canfield said $172,276 was paid in overtime to patrolmen. The department has nine contracted patrolmen, one of which was hired in May 2023, she said.