Coaldale council has restored its three full-time police officer positions, with benefits, effective today.

During a meeting Tuesday, council members brought back their full-timers by a three-two vote; with Harry Hontz, Brenda Hosler and Linda Miller voting in favor of the move, and Thomas Keerans and Mike Doerr voting against it. Council President Angela Krapf, who is the wife of Sgt. Keith Krapf, abstained from voting.Krapf, Charles Blesse and Todd Weiss, who have been working for the borough as part-time officers, will be full-time employees again. The three were furloughed by borough council in 2012, and have filed a lawsuit in Schuylkill County Court seeking back pay.That lawsuit is still pending, Harry Hontz said after the meeting. Hontz, who chairs the police committee, said that the officers were brought back under the terms of their old contract, and that a new contract will be negotiated."I've been for it all along," Hontz said. "One thing you don't sacrifice is public safety."Borough council members met in executive session before the meeting with their solicitor, Michael Greek, and Jeff Stewart, a lawyer retained by the borough for the police issue.After the meeting, Keerans said that council members had not followed the advice of the attorneys."We were advised not to do it the way we're going to do it," Keerans said. "We went against counsel's advice."Doerr said that the borough doesn't have the funds to support a full-time police force."We just can't afford it, that's the bottom line," Doerr said. "We don't have enough money here, and we don't have enough crime here to justify it."Council also voted in favor of a pay raise for borough secretary/treasurer Andrea Davis. Davis was hired in October 2013 at a rate of $12 an hour, or $24,000 per year. Council had held a special meeting March 31 to discuss the matter.Brenda Hosler made a motion to increase Davis's pay to $28,000 a year, seconded by Keerans. Krapf, Miller and Hontz voted against it, with Hosler, Keerans and Doerr voting in favor.Mayor Richard Kellner broke the tie with a vote in favor of the raise."She does a really good job," Kellner said after the meeting. "She deserves the raise."Fire Chief Rich Marek questioned the salary during the public comment section. saying the road department continues to operate with one full-time and one-part time employee.During the meeting, residents brought up various concerns about issues in the borough:Steve and Tammy Harrison had questions about several dilapidated buildings in the 100-200 block of East Ridge Street. Greek said that the issue has been ongoing and that the process of getting the buildings demolished is lengthy.Tom Davis of Lansford, said that double and triple parking in the area of the Coaldale Complex, which is used for youth baseball and other activities, is a safety issue. The parking tactics are blocking the road and interfering with visibility for drivers.Francis Hutta asked if the borough has a policy regarding the standards of behavior for police officers, on and off-duty. Hutta said that one of the borough's officers was drunk at a public place in December. Greek said that if a crime had been committed by an officer, it should be reported to the District Attorney's office.A Ruddle Street resident said that employees of Miner's Hospital, who are banned from smoking on hospital grounds, have been standing near her home to smoke. They are littering their cigarette butts in the street, she said. Keerans made a motion, passed by council, that the borough write a letter to hospital officials asking them to respond to the complaint.Cindy Hutta asked when potholes would be fixed, and also asked about requirements and restrictions for having a business in a residential area.