Pensions, Assets Haunt Berks-Lehigh Commission

Auctioning Berks-Lehigh Regional Police assets and settling the pension shortfall are pressing issues for the commission.

Auctioning remaining assets and sorting out projected pension shortfalls are two of the most pressing issues facing the Berks-Lehigh Regional Police Commission. The Berks-Lehigh Police Commission voted unanimously to dissolve the regional police department as of Dec. 31, after Upper Macungie supervisors voted to leave the Berks-Lehigh force and create its own as of Jan. 1.  Now, the commission is still dealing with fallout issues and progress is slow, according to Upper Macungie Supervisor Sam Ashmar, who also serves on the BLRP commission. Ashmar told Upper Macungie Supervisors Thursday night that no date has been set for a planned auction of Berks-Lehigh assets, which include vehicles and a number of other items. "We have to get the …

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Maxatawny Sues Upper Macungie Over Regional Police Force Assets

The suit follows Upper Macungie's decision to withdraw from the Berks-Lehigh Regional Police Commission and start its own force.

Maxatawny Sues Upper Macungie Over Regional Police Force Assets

The suit follows Upper Macungie's decision to withdraw from the Berks-Lehigh Regional Police Commission and start its own force.

  Maxatawny Township has filed a lawsuit in Berks County Court against the Berks-Lehigh Regional Police Department, Upper Macungie, Topton and Lyons over the distribution of the regional police force's assets as it's disbanded. The lawsuit, which contends the parties have not been able to come to an agreement as to the distribution of assets, dominated a Berks-Lehigh Regional Police Commission meeting Monday night at Fire Station 56 on Schantz Road. Representatives from Maxatawny and Upper Macungie pointed fingers at each other, accusing each other of dragging feet when it came to determining how equipment, payrolls, pensions and other benefits would be handled when the regional police department is disbanded at the end of the year. Upper …

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Berks-Lehigh Commission Looks to Expedite Issues

The Berks-Lehigh Regional Police Commission met Monday night to talk about expediting the dissolution of the force.

The Berks-Lehigh Regional Police Commission discussed ways to expedite its dissolution Monday night at its agenda meeting. The police chiefs of Upper Macungie Township, Topton Borough, Lyons Borough and Maxatawny Township will meet this week to discuss division of assets. Then the commission will meet again on Sept. 17 after each borough and the board of supervisors has met to discuss the situation. "We need to be in a position to be having two meetings a month to get things moving," said commissioner Sam Ashmar. "There are a lot of issues and feedback to go through. We need to sort through inventory. There are a lot of issues the chiefs won't know and we need a firm timeline." "We're getting towards crunch time. We're three months away […

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Berks-Lehigh Police Commission Meets Tonight

The Berks-Lehigh Regional Police Commission, which voted to disband after the defection of Upper Macungie Township, must tie up all of its loose ends.

The Berks-Lehigh Regional Police Commission, which voted to disband following the defection of Upper Macungie Township earlier this year, will meet tonight at 7 at Station 56. The commission will have a lot on its plate, including how to divvy up pension payments to its officers, according to the commission's charter. Commission member Sam Ashmar of Upper Macungie has said that cost could be prohibitive to the township. Equipment, personnel and other matters will be on the commission's docket tonight.  

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Upper Macungie Officials Begin Budget Talks

Even though it's only August, township supervisors and department heads got together Monday to begin forming the 2013 Upper Macungie budget.

Upper Macungie supervisors and department heads got together Monday afternoon and began the formal process of hashing out the 2013 township budget. The mid-afternoon session was light on details as department heads still must meet with the treasurer, but there was one topic of debate that was at the forefront -- just how much is the new Upper Macungie Police Department going to cost? That question is still up in the air, since the breakup of the Berks-Lehigh Regional Police Department is still ongoing. Part of the problem, according to township supervisor Sam Ashmar, is how much of the early retirement and pension system Upper Macungie will be on the hook for. That will be up to solicitors and the Berks-Lehigh Regional Police Commission to…

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Police Commission Takes No Action on Charter

The Berks-Lehigh Regional Police Commission will wait until January to address Upper Macungie's charter concerns.

The Berks-Lehigh Regional Police Commission took no action on Upper Macungie Township's charter concerns at Monday night's monthly meeting. Instead, the commission decided to wait until next month to address Upper Macungie Township's desire to divest itself from the force and create its own police department. Upper Macungie Township currently pays more than $2.6 million for police protection from the Berks-Lehigh Regional Police Department. The three other Berks County municipalities covered by the department -- Maxatawny Township, Topton Borough and Lyons Borough -- pay significantly less. Upper Macungie supervisors want voting rights that are commensurate with the amount of money the township pays versus  the amounts the smaller towns …

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