Mahoning Township Supervisors are considering revamping its police department and cutting hours of coverage.

In a budget meeting Wednesday night, the board discussed eliminating part-time police officers and carrying five full-time officers plus the chief instead.There is concern over hours covered, however, as Chairman John Wieczorek told the board he "wasn't confident on eliminating the salary from part-time workers."One part-timer is already set to resign before the end of the month. "That leaves four other officers."I'd rather give the hours to full-time," Shawn Haggerty said.The police coverage hours may also be cut from 24 to 20."From 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., according to the log there's not too much activity. But we hear we don't have enough coverage during heavy crime shifts," Wieczorek said."Having full-timers will eliminate that, instead of having to hope a part-timer can come in," Haggerty said.Wieczorek agreed with Haggerty. "The last couple months we have had very little part-time participation," Wieczorek said.The police officers' schedule is made a month in advance, with part-timers signing up for open shifts when they are available.The problem is when a part-time officer needs to be called in at the last minute according to Wieczorek, "that's where we are having all the grief.""But this will eliminate that problem," Vice Chairman Franklin Ruch said. "It makes sense," Kerry Verrastro said."I can understand the five-officer scenario, but two to three years down the road it could be an issue of vacations and creating comp time.""If we have the five full-timers plus the chief there won't be overtime so it doesn't affect comp time. It eliminates it," Ruch said."I guess I can evolve," Wieczorek said to the board.The fiscal numbers will not be set until December's public display of the budget. However township secretary and treasurer Natalie Haggerty told the board that water rates will remain the same.The bulk of the budget will be based from the previous year's numbers.The township is not anticipating a tax increase but the numbers will be finalized at year's end.