Supervisors Turn Up Heat on Police Commission

The future of Upper Macungie Township and the Berks-Lehigh Regional Police Department remains up in the air with results of Thursday night's supervisors meeting making that future even cloudier.

The board, by a 2-1 margin, voted to instruct the Berks-Lehigh Police Commission that Upper Macungie Township wants a weighted vote on that commission or study breaking from the regional police department by Dec. 30, 2012.

Supervisors Sam Ashmar and Kathy Rader voted for the motion. Chairman Edward Earley voted against the motion.

Upper Macungie Township currently pays more than $2.6 million for police protection from the . The three other Berks County municipalities covered by the department -- Maxatawny Township, Topton Borough and Lyons Borough -- pay significantly less.

Supervisors want voting rights that are commensurate with the amount of money the township pays versus  the amounts the smaller towns and boroughs shell out. Currently, each municipality has a 25 percent voting interest. The current charter was originally crafted in 2002.

Debate on the topic was spirited. Earley said that despite the rhetoric, he was confident that cooler heads will prevail.

"The expense in creating our own police department will be astronomical," he said. "It's a complex issue and I don't know how it's  going to get resolved. Going our own way is fraught with complexities."

Supervisor Sam Ashmar again called the current charter voting arrangement unpalatable.

"It's been a burning issue for several years," Ashmar said. "My concern is that there are smaller municipalities that together have more power (on the commission) than Upper Macungie Township."

Ashmar noted that Upper Macungie pays 76 percent of the department's expenses.

"We're at a total disadvantage. I believe we have to have a weighted vote," Ashmar said.

Earley said he believed the offer of a 50-50 split with the Berks County municipalities might be a positive solution before considering if the township should go its own way with a police force.

"If we do that, we can't get out of the charter," Rader said.

Earley also said that he'd never be in favor of utilizing Pennsylvania State Police as sole protection for the township.

Berks-Lehigh Det. Peter Nickischer, who was present at the meeting, declined to comment on the matter.