MILL HALL — These days, almost everyone has a personal cell phone, and they likely use it for work calls as well.

That said, Mill Hall Borough Council is considering doing away with borough-issued cell phones for employees and instead offering a stipend to employees who use their personal phone for borough business.

The issue was brought up by Councilmember Rainelle Wallace, who has been pushing for the removal of the phones for months.

The phones aren’t necessary and the majority of them are not used, she said.

She suggested a stipend could be set up for employees who would use their personal phone for borough business.

Council President Anthony Walker agreed with a stipend and suggested $20 per month for each employee.

“I think it would be a fair figure,” he said.

Council discussed how the stipend would be paid — quarterly, monthly or even semi-annually. They did not made a decision, but agreed payments would be made at the end of a certain time frame, not before.

Councilman Brandon Irvin said he isn’t opposed to the idea, stressed the importance of borough employees being aware they would have to give out their personal number.

Public works foreman Brad Rote said he already gives out his personal cell phone number to businesses and members of the community who need to contact him and rarely uses his borough-issued phone.

Walker asked Police Chief Brandon Coleman if the removal of these cell phones would affect the police department.

Overall, Coleman said, it would not affect the department because he and his officers already use their personal cell phones for work-related business.

The only problem he could see was the loss of “open records,” he said.

Having employee cell phones means the borough and the court system has access to a device and can look through phone records and text messages if needed, he explained. Access to text messages and phone records becomes complicated with personal cell phones, he said.

Wallace made a motion to discontinue issuing cell phones to employees and set up a stipend for those who use their personal phones.

Irvin made a second.

However, the motion was then withdrawn when council decided to discuss the issue in detail at the next personnel meeting.

BOROUGH SECRETARY

Council voted unanimously to offer the borough secretary/treasurer position to Brandy Yost, of Gallagher Township, one of the final four candidates who submitted applications for the job, which will become vacant on the retirement of Debra Hill in December.

The personnel committee spent the last month reviewing applications before interviewing four candidates, Walker said, calling the decision “very tough.”

Walker’s motion to offer the position to Brandy Yost, of Gallagher Township, was unanimous.

Yost is the secretary/treasurer for McHenry Township, Lycoming County, and has experience and is well versed in systems such as quickbooks, he said.

“Her qualifications were pretty high for what we were looking for,” Councilman Samuel Hoy Jr. said.

A start date will be decided once it is confirmed that Yost has accepted the position and she goes through a background check and drug testing, Walker said.

There will be a 90-day probationary period, Walker said, in response the question of council Vice President Vincent H. Shay Jr.

Yost would begin training under the current secretary until her retirement and be paid $15.50 per hour.

Councilman Warren “Ted” Jodun was absent.