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City could see reduction in police service

LOCK HAVEN — The Lock Haven City Police Department may no longer be a 24 hour service.

City Manager Greg Wilson updated council on the city’s on-going negotiations with the police association during its regular meeting Monday night. Wilson said the city proposed in its collective bargaining agreement to cut the city’s coverage to 20 hours a day, with officers working 10-hour shifts instead of 8.

“Any calls in the remaining four hours a day would be handled by the Pennsylvania State Police. That happens now in all of our neighboring communities when they do not have police coverage,” Wilson said. “Including Flemington, which does not have any police coverage.”

Continued inflation and the goal to avoid increases in tax-payer funded costs are the reason behind the move, Wilson said.

“This will create a reduction in tax payer funded costs in our community. Which is already struggling with 37 percent of the city’s real estate tax exempt,” Wilson said.

Council has previously agreed to take steps in an effort to reduce that percentage. Earlier in the year it discussed attempting to challenge the tax exempt status on a portion of 300 Bellefonte Ave. The property, made up of five plots, houses a state office and Family Dollar along with its parking lot and is owned by Stephen Girard Trust of Philadelphia. Council voted to appeal a portion of that property, the Family Dollar and its parking lot, to the county’s tax assessment board to have it placed on the tax roll.

With the large amount of tax exempt properties along with contributing taxes for required services like street lights, snow removal, filling potholes and 13 to 14 hour a day full time fire coverage, it can be a challenge.

Wilson noted that, according to a Pennsylvania Economy League report, Lock Haven is “the lowest median income household community that provides police services.”

“That’s pretty significant, and obviously its the goal to continue to provide that police service to the greatest degree that the community can afford,” he said.

According to Wilson, he and a subcommittee of council have met with the police officers association several times throughout the year to negotiate its next agreement. The current one will expire at the end of this year.

“The city is currently awaiting a counter proposal from the union in order to keep those discussions progressing,” he said. “The city is looking forward to working with the police officers association this year in the hopes of having an agreement in place before the current one expires.”

Mayor Joel Long, a member of the subcommittee, said this negotiation has been a difficult one given the circumstances.

“I’ve been through police negotiations in the past and its probably the most difficult one I’ve taken part of,” he said. “All we can do is put something out there to them and see what they counter with. We haven’t really gotten that.”

No other members of council offered comment following Wilson’s report.

All members were present for Monday’s meeting held in council chambers and streamed live on the city’s YouTube page.

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