As budget meetings for the upcoming fiscal year continue for local municipalities, the Mahoning Township Board of Supervisors has crunched the numbers and decided to hire part-time police officers.

Chairman John Wieczorek said, “There was discussion during the budget meeting about finding a way to reduce the amount of overtime we pay.”The hourly wage for the average officer in the township is set at $31.62 per hour, with overtime wages reaching near $43 to $47 an hour.“We certainly consider anything less than $43 an hour ahead of the game. With part time there are no benefits,” Wieczorek said.Overtime pay has been a concern as Supervisor Robert Slaw pointed out one officer had “30 hours of overtime. He had 70 hours in a week.”The board voted to change the part-time pay rate to $22.50 an hour.“We are putting out something to attract applicants,” Wieczorek said.The chairman asked Mahoning Police Chief Audie Mertz to speak with surrounding municipalities to get a sense of what part-time officers are paid. The township will look to hire a new officer around Jan. 1.In addition to the police force vote, the board made a motion to change its 2017 public meeting schedule, adding a second meeting per month to begin next year.As the schedule now stand the board meets the first Wednesday of the month changing the times to the second and fourth week of each month.“Too much time from one month to the next passes and so many times we get information that needs to be considered before the next meeting,” Wieczorek said.The board had previously met twice a month over two years ago when it changed gears to the first week of the month to accommodate supervisors’ busy work schedules.“In the two years I’ve been here, I haven’t seen anything we’ve missed. I just don’t have the time,” said Vice Chairman Franklin Ruch.“I know for the planning commission we’ve had to ask for extensions here because of voting at the meetings,” Slaw said.Ruch said he understood the point but disagreed that two meetings per month are necessary.“I agree with Frank. It’s going to be a lot to make with work,” Supervisor Brian Reeser said.The board voted 3 to 2 in favor of adding the additional day.“I can see the positive in it. I don’t want to do it, but I see the benefit,” Slaw said.