By John Tredrea, Special Writer
Hopewell Township is ready to continue to provide police services to Hopewell Borough under a three-year contract, approved by the Township Committee Monday night.
If the borough approves the contract — which township Administrator/Engineer Paul Pogorzelski predicts it will do based on recent talks he’s had with borough officials — the borough would pay the township $488,136 for police services in 2012, $497,898 in 2013 and $507,857 in 2014. Those figures do not include overtime costs.
The resolution committee passed Monday states “overtime shall only be necessitated by a serious or unusual event occurring in Hopewell Borough.”
The dollar amounts due to the township in 2013 and 2014 may be adjusted upward if the number of police calls from the borough increases next year over this year. Involved in this arrangement is the fact the borough would pay the same for police services in 2012 as it is paying in 2011. However, if the volume of calls next year increases significantly over this year, the amount the borough would owe for 2013 and 2014 could be increased.
This arrangement troubled Committeeman John Murphy, who was concerned negotiations with the borough might become protracted if a dispute arises over whether the number of police calls from the borough next year represents an increase over this year’s number of calls.
After a long discussion on this issue, the committee decided to add a new clause to the contract, which states if such a dispute does arise and needs to go to arbitration, the township and the borough would split the cost of paying for the arbitration 50-50.
Payments to the township from the borough for police services would be made in four quarterly installments, under the contract.
Another clause added Monday states the borough would be charged late fees for payments not made on time.
The resolution also says Hopewell Borough, which abolished its own police department in the early 1980s, would pay the township Police Department’s “special duty” fee schedule if township officers were used for special events in the borough, such as the Memorial Day parade or the Hopewell Harvest Fair.
Under the contract, the township would continue to staff school crossing guard posts in the borough, which has an elementary school on Princeton Avenue.
The 58-square mile township completely encircles Hopewell Borough as it does Pennington Borough. Pennington still has its own police force. Pennington has considered, several times, abolishing its own force and contracting with the township for police services. In each case, Pennington has decided to keep its own police force.
ALSO at Monday night’s meeting, the committee voted unanimously to appoint Master Gardener John Piepszak to the township’s Deer Management Advisory Committee.
