Part-time police officers in Yardley Borough will start seeing a little more in their pay checks soon after council unanimously approved an increase in the salary schedule at its July 19 meeting.
The boost, recommended by Police Chief Joseph D. Kelly III, increases the range of pay for Yardley’s nine part-time officers from $15 to $22 an hour up to $21 to $27.50 an hour starting with the first pay in August. The borough also has five full-time officers, including Kelly.
The chief said part-timers get no pension or benefits but have been an integral part of the department for many years, responding to many different types of incidents with efficiency and bravery. He added that their wages have lagged behind part-time officers in many nearby municipalities, and also compared to many private sector jobs.
Council member Matt Curtin said the increase will have no budget impact in 2022 or 2023 because it’s being offset by savings in other areas.
In other actions from the July 19 meeting, council held a ceremonial swearing-in ceremony for new borough Tax Collector Christine Ventresca. She was appointed last month to replace Cheryl Lowe-Cler, the borough’s longtime tax collector who had retired but then stepped in again after the newly elected tax collector resigned two months into the job. Lowe-Cler had recently asked council to replace her as soon as possible.
Ventresca will serve through 2023 by virtue of the appointment but has said she plans to run for the position in that year’s election in the hope of keeping the job beyond 2023.
Council voted to award a $62,896 contract to Lerro for installation of technology that will allow for far better-quality live streaming of council meetings on the borough’s Facebook page and on YouTube. The money is coming from Yardley’s share of funds doled out via the American Rescue Plan Act.
Also approved was awarding of a $274,960 contract to Premier Builders for elevation of a structure at 33 Brown Street, rejection of a bid and re-bid for elevation of a building at 81 N. Delaware Avenue, and advertising for bids for elevation of a building at 93 N.Delaware Avenue and replacement of the Mary Yardley Bridge. The elevations are being funded with a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant.
The council also voted to apply for $857,407 in state grant money to fund phase III of the North Main Street sidewalk installation project, and also to revisit the issue of possibly refunding some of $9,137 in permit fees paid to the borough by Yardley Point Condominiums for a $155,000 infrastructure repair project there. The vote does not commit the borough to any reimbursement.
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