22 October 2014
Moon Township Board of Supervisors and its boards · 31 subject tags
The Moon Township Board of Supervisors held its second 2015 budget workshop on October 22, focused on public safety spending. The finance director led a line-by-line review of the Police and Fire Department budgets. No public comments were made. The Board discussed the gentrification application process, noting the Township ordinance conflicts with county procedure; the township manager and solicitor are working on a change. For the Police Department, the finance director detailed the $55,000 DWI grant from DCED, which funds the West Hills DUI Task Force and pays a phlebotomist. Gasoline costs were kept level despite new pumps, with fuel purchased in bulk from Guttman Oil. Body armor was reduced from $12,000 to $5,000, as vests were replaced in staggered years with grant offsets. Vehicle maintenance increased slightly due to equipment swaps in cruisers. Legal services rose significantly due to litigation and police contract arbitration. The budget includes a retroactive pay increase for 2014 and 2015, plus funding for a new officer to replace a terminated one, with overtime covering backfill. A fifth full-time dispatcher is proposed, with part-timers on a limited rotation; the Township receives $8,000 annually from Robert Morris University and $6 per call from Crescent. Health insurance for police spiked 47% because the union has its own plan, while other employees saw 0% increase; this is before the arbitrator. Utilities were over budget, primarily electric, prompting discussion of alternative suppliers. Overall, the budget reflects a 4% increase. The Fire Department budget saw few changes, except eliminating the fire marshal’s salary (paid under Public Works). The fire chief requested 10 portable radios for apparatus, with two possibly purchased this year. Radio maintenance increased due to 800 MHz reprogramming. Worker’s compensation rose due to the Firefighter Presumption Act. The next workshop, covering Community Development and MCA-TV, is set for November 3. The meeting adjourned at 6:56 p.m.The Moon Township Board of Supervisors held its second 2015 budget workshop on October 22, focused on public safety spending. The finance director led a line-by-line review of the Police and Fire Department budgets. No public comments were made. The Board discussed the gentrification application process, noting the Township ordinance conflicts with county procedure; the township manager and solicitor are working on a change.
For the Police Department, the finance director detailed the $55,000 DWI grant from DCED, which funds the West Hills DUI Task Force and pays a phlebotomist. Gasoline costs were kept level despite new pumps, with fuel purchased in bulk from Guttman Oil. Body armor was reduced from $12,000 to $5,000, as vests were replaced in staggered years with grant offsets. Vehicle maintenance increased slightly due to equipment swaps in cruisers. Legal services rose significantly due to litigation and police contract arbitration. The budget includes a retroactive pay increase for 2014 and 2015, plus funding for a new officer to replace a terminated one, with overtime covering backfill. A fifth full-time dispatcher is proposed, with part-timers on a limited rotation; the Township receives $8,000 annually from Robert Morris University and $6 per call from Crescent. Health insurance for police spiked 47% because the union has its own plan, while other employees saw 0% increase; this is before the arbitrator. Utilities were over budget, primarily electric, prompting discussion of alternative suppliers. Overall, the budget reflects a 4% increase.
The Fire Department budget saw few changes, except eliminating the fire marshal’s salary (paid under Public Works). The fire chief requested 10 portable radios for apparatus, with two possibly purchased this year. Radio maintenance increased due to 800 MHz reprogramming. Worker’s compensation rose due to the Firefighter Presumption Act. The next workshop, covering Community Development and MCA-TV, is set for November 3. The meeting adjourned at 6:56 p.m.
Summarised by AI from the linked minutes, with some details withheld for privacy. The document is the record — check anything that matters against it.