CLEARFIELD – Lawrence Township Police Sgt. James Glass presented the supervisors with quotes for a new patrol vehicle at last night’s meeting. Total cost for a Chevrolet Caprice after outfitting for police service was just more than $40,200, and for a Ford Taurus was $31,855.
Glass pointed out that the Taurus has had good reviews as a police vehicle, and that Ford is a big supplier of police vehicles. He also noted that the all-wheel drive feature of the Taurus is a plus.
The supervisors approved to purchase the Taurus, pending review of finances by the secretary/treasurer to be sure the funds are available in the police department budget.
Supervisor Chairman Bill Lawhead said they felt sure there was enough in the department’s budget to cover the cost, but wanted to verify it and avoid having to borrow the funds to purchase the vehicle.
Glass said the estimated delivery time for the vehicle is four to six weeks from purchase.
Glass reported the department will be participating with Clearfield Borough police and Clearfield School District in “Operation Safe Stop” on Oct. 21. Glass said the goal is to make drivers more aware of school bus stop laws and to promote safety for school students on buses and at bus stops.
Police will be patrolling reported problem areas for school bus stop violations. Glass asks residents, school bus drivers and school staff to let police know of any traffic problems at bus stops so that those locations can be monitored.
Operation Safe Stop is a collaborative event of PennDOT and state and municipal police conducted during National School Bus Safety Week (SBSW). National SBSW is held the third week of October every year, which is Oct. 19 -23. This year’s SBSW theme is, “Be Smart – Be seen, I wait in a safe place!”
Glass provided department statistics, reporting 77 criminal arrests and 35 traffic arrests for September.
Township Secretary Barb Shaffner reported that the township police pension Minimum Municipal Obligation (MMO) for 2015 is underfunded. She said the township’s obligation for the year as determined through actuarial formulas is $98,020.87, and only $40,674 was received from the state. This leaves a balance of $61, 424.13 that the township must deposit into the township police retirement funds.
The supervisors approved to pay the balance of the MMO, and also approved the transfer of Act 13 funds totaling $35,309.37 into the general fund to cover costs for the township’s part-time police for the quarter.
The supervisors reviewed bids for winter road material from Glenn O. Hawbaker, Woodland Equipment and Supply, New Enterprise Stone, and Hanson Aggregates. The bid was awarded to Woodland Equipment for 1,200 tons of #6S antiskid material at $17.66 per ton, and for 2,000 tons of #67 limestone at $15.67 per ton.
After a brief executive session to discuss personnel issues, the supervisors approved to authorize the secretary to contact previous road crew applicants for full-time seasonal work, and if none are interested, then she is authorized to advertise the position. Lawhead noted the winter position will be for Oct. 19 to March 18, 2016.
The supervisors scheduled a public hearing for Nov. 16 at 6:30 p.m. for proposed township zoning changes.
The supervisors approved to authorize the township’s engineer to direct Diehl Contracting to replace a chain link fence that was removed during sewage line construction on a resident’s property, as long as the fence is not in the sewage line easement.
The supervisors appointed Wayne Smith to complete a vacant position on the Clearfield Municipal Authority, term to expire Jan. 1, 2016. Shaffner reported Smith was the only one to respond to an advertisement for letters of interest to serve on the authority.