Politics & Government
Does Upper Macungie Need its own Police Force?
Upper Macungie supervisors are discussing leaving Berks-Lehigh Regional Police to create a new department for the township.
The meets tonight, a little more than a week after .
The problem, Supervisor Samir Ashmar said, is that pays about 76 percent of the Berks-Lehigh budget (about $2.8 million) but only has a 25 percent voting stake in how that money is used.
The other municipalities in the regional force include Maxatawny Township, Topton Borough and Lyons Borough.
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Police Chief Michael P. Weiser, in a letter, said he will retire Dec. 31 unless the commission agrees to a new contract. But Upper Macungie supervisors do not want to enter into any new contracts with the police force until the Township decided what to do.
The choices are to renegotiate the regional agreement to include proportional voting rights based on the township’s budget contribution, or to leave the regional police to start a new department for Upper Macungie.
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