ORWIGSBURG - The Orwigsburg Borough Council voted to hire two more officers for its police force Wednesday.
With no discussion on the matter during the six-minute meeting, the council appointed Robert Bechtel and Paul Olson III, both of Pottsville, as part-time police officers contingent on successfully finishing a required training exam and physical and psychological evaluations. Borough manager Mike Lonergan said the police department currently has three full-time police officers and nine part-time officers.
Bechtel is a recent hire from the police academy and Olson is a former police officer with the Pottsville police department but was laid off from the force in December.
They will be paid $18 an hour and then $20 after a probationary period that could last up to a year, Lonergan said.
Olson also works as a part-time police officer in Schuylkill Haven.
They likely will start this month and could work as shifts become available, Lonergan said.
A full-time police officer position is still open after Officer Scott R. Davis resigned effective Sept. 6. He gave no reason for his resignation, Lonergan said previously.
A borough resident filed a complaint against Davis earlier this year. An investigation was conducted and a private detective hired at a cost of $1,368 to conduct the investigation, although borough officials have not said if the investigation is connected to Davis.
In other news, St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 215 N. Warren St., was issued a building permit for a new roof for $64,000, Lonergan said after the meeting.