Wesleyville, Lawrence Park take different stands on shared police, municipal services

Valerie Myers, Erie Times-News
·1 min read

Editor's note: This is a reposting of a March 16, 2016 story.

Neighboring east Erie County municipalities won't be looking into sharing services any time soon.

Lawrence Park Township commissioners voted unanimously this past week to pass on a state feasibility study on merging municipal services, including police, code enforcement and streets maintenance, with Wesleyville Borough.

The state-funded study, proposed by Wesleyville Borough Council, would have been done by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development's Municipal Assistance Program at no cost to the municipalities, DCED spokesman Dan Carrigan said.

A Lawrence Park Township police cruiser is shown, Sept. 25, 2015, in front of Iroquois Junior-Senior High School in Lawrence Park Township after a called-in bomb threat was reported.
A Lawrence Park Township police cruiser is shown, Sept. 25, 2015, in front of Iroquois Junior-Senior High School in Lawrence Park Township after a called-in bomb threat was reported.

"It's disappointing," Wesleyville Mayor Ed Rickrode said of Lawrence Park's rejection of the study. Wesleyville Borough Council in February voted to go ahead with the study if Lawrence Park counterparts agreed.

"Looking down the road here, with what's going on at GE (Transportation), there are going to be a lot of things we won't be able to afford separately," Rickrode said. "And we can't keep raising taxes on people in this community that mostly run on Social Security."

Lawrence Park commissioners gave no reason Tuesday for rejecting the study.

"We have no comment on that," said Sarah Weismiller, president of the Board of Commissioners.

Forming a new, consolidated police department was a major sticking point with commissioners during a Feb. 17 meeting arranged by Wesleyville Borough officials to discuss shared services.

"Honestly, we do not want to disband our police department," Lawrence Park Commissioner Jan Cabaday said then.

Commissioners informed Wesleyville Council of their decision not to study merged services in a March 11 letter.

"Thank you for considering us in this area. We look forward to keeping our communications open for further opportunities between our township and Wesleyville Borough," commissioners said in the letter.

Valerie Myers can be reached at 814-878-1913 or at vmyers@timesnews.com. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/ETNmyers.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Wesleyville, Lawrence Park take different stands on shared services