The borough of Tamaqua is looking at adding two new full-time officers to the police force in 2017.

At its last regular meeting of 2016, Tamaqua Council approved a tentative new contract with the Tamaqua Police Department Tuesday which includes a new rank of starting patrolman, creating a fourth tier in the salary structure.According to Councilman Micah Gursky, the FOP has not yet approved the agreement, but he felt confident enough in their approval to proceed with council’s vote. “We have an agreement in principle,” he said.Gursky said the new rank is an “innovative” approach to adding full-time police officers to the force, but will save the borough $60,000 per new hire over the course of the four-year contract.In the past, there were three pay tiers for the union members of the department — patrolman, corporal and sergeant. Those tiers will now be starting patrolman, patrolman, corporal and sergeant. In 2016, the starting salary for a patrolman was $26.83 per hour. The starting salary for any new patrolmen hired after Jan. 1, 2017, will be $20 an hour.From the patrolman’s perspective, that seems like a cut in salary. However, a wage progression clause was also eliminated, which will be a benefit to new hires.Previously, new patrolmen started out at 75 percent of the starting salary, with 5 percent increases every six months. It took a patrolman three full years to actually earn a patrolman’s salary. New officers will still have a full year’s probationary period.The other major change in the new proposed contract is an increase in the amount of raises for officers.They will be looking at increases of 4 percent the first and third years, and 3 percent the second and fourth years.Gursky called the job “the most dangerous job in the borough.”“There is no more dangerous time to be a police officer,” he added, “and we have a really good department.”Gursky said the current proposal is well within the lines of police salaries for neighboring communities as well.Street materialsIn other end-of-the-year business, council approved the 2017 street materials contract, based on bids that were submitted.Lehigh Asphalt of Tamaqua, Pierson Materials of Middleport, and Pottsville Materials picked up most of the bids, with Hei-Way LLC of Sarver and Pennsy Supply of Pittston, also picking up bids.Council tabled a vote on an award of the 2A stone, pending a review of complaints about the material from borough workers.Borough Manager Kevin Steigerwalt said one bid had been received for the property at 240 Center St. in the minimum required bid amount of $25,000. Child Development Inc. of Minersville submitted the bid and the necessary down payment to purchase the property.Ice skatingCouncil President David Mace said he and Mary Linkevich, Director of Community Development, are looking into possibilities for ice skating areas for borough residents this year.Several of the borough’s basketball courts may be suitable for such an activity, and they are looking into the possible purchase of a liner.Two residents spoke about concerns in their neighborhoods.Earl Hartranft reported a water line break at a property adjacent to his on Coal Street and Jim Hull questioned the continued closing of Schuylkill Avenue due to the Brew Street construction project.The project has not been worked on for a few weeks, but has a deadline of February.Members of council agreed it does not seem like progress is being made, and continuing to keep the road closed is causing a major inconvenience for the borough.Council will send a letter to DEP to see what is delaying the project. Steigerwalt said he knows DEP personnel have been pulled from the site to deal with an emergency sink hole in a neighboring community.Other business:• Approved a handicap parking space application for 221 Green St., to be placed north of the adjacent garage toward Penn Street.• Discussed the placement of no parking signs at the intersection of South and Green street and voted to place no parking signs on the entire 100 block of Green Street.• Reappointed Judith Hadesty to the position of health officer.• Appointed David Mace to the appeals board.• Reappointed Janene Holter to a 6-year term on the civil service commission.• Held an executive session for a real estate matter.