Letter to the Editor: Dr. Marie Adajar and team appreciated for care delivered through Wilkes-Barre VA

Wilkes-Barre Area Career and Technical Center board to offer additional public comment period

LEHMAN TWP. &#8212; The township supervisors announced Monday that the township would soon provide round-the-clock police coverage.Chairman Dave Sutton said residents had been asking for 24-hour coverage for some time, but due to lack of funds, the last time the township has had full coverage was in 2003.Police Chief Howard Kocher and Sgt. Mark Liparela tracked the number of police calls taken during the last two years, and discovered that a large number were handled by the state police.Sutton added that for the past couple of months, there were times when the township police provided 24-hour protection, but it wasn&#8217;t long before some residents figured out exactly when the officers were on and off duty.The township proposes to pay for the additional coverage by increasing next year&#8217;s property taxes from 1.45 mills to 1.75 mills. A mill is a $1 tax on every $100 of assessed property value.The increase, which will be partially offset by the elimination of the $5 per capita tax, would cost homeowners roughly $39 per year, based on $140,000, the township&#8217;s average home value. &#8220;It amounts to $3.25 per month or 11 cents a day,&#8221; Sutton added.The board passed the first reading of the proposed $1.5 million budget for 2016, which includes an allotment of $264,999 for the police department, $625,000 for the roads and $217,000 for insurance coverage. &#8220;That&#8217;s what a second class township is supposed to do,&#8221; said Sutton. The first priority is to maintain the roads. We don&#8217;t really have to provide a police department, but we do, and we should. And we couldn&#8217;t survive without insurance.&#8221;The township currently employs two full-time and 10 part-time police officers. Part-time officer Harold Cain will soon be moved to full-time. &#8220;He&#8217;s a very good police officer,&#8221; said Liparela, adding that Cain has been with the Lehman Township Police Department for nearly 12 years.Township resident Todd DeRosa commended the board&#8217;s decision to provide 24-hour police protection. &#8220;With only a $39 increase, faster response time and our own guys, that&#8217;s a slam dunk,&#8221; he said.In related business, township Manager Marian DeAngelis announced that the township received a $10,000 grant from Atlantic Sunrise for the purchase of cameras for the police cruisers and jackets for the EMA crews.DeAngelis also announced that the township will hold a Community Tree Lighting Ceremony at Lake Lehman Junior/Senior High School at 6 p.m. on Nov. 30. The event will include carols, hot chocolate, cookies and visits with Santa.The final reading of the proposed budget will be at the Dec. 21 meeting. A reorganization meeting will be held on Jan. 4, which will be the board&#8217;s only meeting for the month.<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Camille FiotiFor Times Leader</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach the Times Leader newsroom at 570-829-7242 or on Twitter @TLnews.</shirttailMeta></div>

Lehman Township to provide round-the-clock police protection