Soaring costs may spell the end for West Leechburg’s police force
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The future of West Leechburg’s police department is in jeopardy because of soaring costs, officials said.
Councilman Tim Grantz, chairman of the police committee, said the borough has been exploring alternative options for police coverage for about a year.
Right now, the borough is looking into contracting coverage from other local police departments. Other possibilities include relying on state police or creating a regional police force.
“The police committee was directed to investigate possibilities, and that’s all we’re doing,” Grantz said Thursday. “We are just reporting back possibilities to council.”
Grantz said the committee has communicated with Gilpin, Allegheny Township and Leechburg about contracting police coverage. It will be up to council to decide what to do moving forward, he said.
“We got a proposal from Allegheny Township. … It’s out of what we can afford. We approached Leechburg about a proposal; they’re having their own staffing issue. Gilpin sent an unsolicited proposal over to us,” Grantz said.
He said the borough is “looking more for an hourly proposal so that we can still control costs.”
Mayor Jim Gallucci said the situation boils down to finances.
The adopted 2020 budget included a 5.5% increase in property taxes. One of the highest expenses was the police department, which received $47,055. That was a nearly 6% increase over the previous year.
“Unfortunately, we had to raise taxes this year. My budget is a little over $40,000. That’s quite a bit for a municipality like this,” Gallucci said. “They’re looking to make cuts everywhere, really, to see what they can do financially. It just so happens that right now the police is one of the bigger chunks out of the budget.”
To pass the budget, officials had to raise the millage rate to 29 mills. The highest millage rate municipalities can pass without approval from the Court of Common Pleas is 30 mills.
“We’re at the max on millage that we can charge,” Gallucci said.
The department has three part-time police officers, including police Chief Pete King.
At one point, there were five officers, but two of them retired and the borough hasn’t been able to replace them, Grantz said.
“We have advertised and put it out to wherever,” Grantz said. “We have gotten a big fat zero. The writing’s on the wall.”
A phone message left at the West Leechburg Police Department seeking comment on the matter wasn’t immediately returned Thursday. Nobody answered the door at the police department Thursday morning.
Gallucci said the situation has residents concerned, but “right now everything is just inquiries.”
“There is no definite outcome yet,” Gallucci said. “Our police force is still working and doing a great job.”