Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
Penndel Borough Mayor Bob Winkler has asked the Bucks County District Attorney to investigate whether borough council violated the Sunshine Act in their private discussions to contract out police services to surrounding Middletown.
Borough officials confirmed to LevittownNow.com on August 19 that deliberations between the township and the borough for policing services of Penndel’s 2,300 residents had indeed been happening for several weeks. According to Council President Kali Sodano, the negotiations were kept quiet due to contractual obligations.
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“I question how these negotiations could have taken place without any public notification or vote. It appears, based on the media coverage, that a plan has already been formulated by the Penndel Council and the Middletown Board of Supervisors,” said Winkler in a letter addressed to District Attorney David Heckler on August 30. “Those private discussions and negotiations violate the Sunshine Act. If it is their opinion that these negotiations are permitted in executive session, they were still required to disclose these discussions with specificity at a public meeting.”
Read: A Citizen’s Guide To The Pennsylvania Sunshine Act
The Pennsylvania Sunshine Act states that “any time a government body holds a meeting in which deliberation or officials action of its members takes place, the public must be given notice of the meeting and the meeting must then be open for the public to attend.”
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Hecker confirmed Thursday that his office received Winkler’s letter and it was being looked into by in-house analyst Larry King, a former investigative reporter. He added that while he is retiring Friday, his replacement will likely release a report on their findings to the public.
The borough which employs 10 part -time officers and a full-time police chief allocates roughly half of their $1.1 million budget each year on providing round-the-clock policing services to borough residents.
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“This is not a personnel matter, it is a matter of signing a 10 year contract that affects the residents of this borough,” said Winkler in a statement.
Winkler noted that discussions allegedly began on July 13 during a Long Range Finance Committee meeting, in which Council Member Gian Lo Piccolo reportedly asked the borough’s consultant Bob Pellegrino to check with Middletown and see what they would charge for providing policing services. On August 15, during executive session, the council as a whole as well as the mayor were given a draft contract to review.
The mayor alleged there have been two meetings that took place between Penndel and Middletown officials to discuss a policing agreement, the last of which being on August 23.
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“Middletown has a well-equipped, professional police force providing 24/7 service to its citizens. Their daily patrol area geographically encircles Penndel, so absorbing the area would be an easy addition/smooth transition if the agreement is adopted. As stipulated in the potential agreement, Borough residents and businesses would receive the same level of service currently provided in Middletown,” said Sodano in a statement on August 20. “The borough would see an immediate six figure cost savings, plus the added benefit of stabilizing the cost for the length of the agreement. These types of costs are hard for the borough to keep up with, especially considering our budget is bordering the millage cap.”
In response to LevittownNow.com’s initial reporting on the possible shuttering of the police department, a citizen petition to urge the council to keep the borough police department is available at Penndel Pizza and Frye’s Deli.
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The borough is expected to address the issue at their next council meeting on Tuesday, September 6.
