The Borough of Tamaqua's 2017 budget, which raised taxes 2 mills, included costs for hiring two new full-time police officers, an issue that came up at Tuesday night's meeting.

Resident Michele Mehallic asked council when they will be hiring the two new police officers budgeted for 2017, as the Tamaqua Civil Service Commission completed testing and forwarded a new eligibility list for council's use.Councilman Micah Gursky said they are still finalizing the details and need the new police contract approved so that the officers can be hired under the new contract."The steps have been taken, we have one more hurdle to clear," he said.Additionally, the borough is involved in arbitration that must be resolved before one of the positions can be filled, according to council.Council also heard a resident of Hunter Street, who raised concerns about commercial vehicles being parked on Hunter Street, and possibly interfering with the school bus route and concerns about the number of dogs on a neighboring property. The matter will be referred to code enforcement and the police department.Tammy Sienkiewicz, one of the coordinators of Safer Streets for Tamaqua's Little Feet, distributed fliers for a service to be held on the National Day of Remembrance."This isn't just for people who have lost someone," she said. "This is for the whole town. Without everyone's support, it means nothing."Sienkiewicz asked if members of council and the audience can identify a bag of heroin looks like."Not many people can, because you don't do it. Say your son, or grandson, brings it home from school. Would you know what it is?" she asked.Sienkiewicz thanked the Tamaqua Police Department for helping to fund mock drug boards to help educate people on what drugs look like, so they can recognize the problem."We had an education night and only 18 people showed up," she said. Sienkiewicz begged council members to attend drug awareness related events."If council's not there, why should anyone else be there?"Gursky thanked Sienkiewicz for the work she and others in her organization have been doing and echoed her concerns that council members and other community leaders "help turn the attitude around" and attend these events.The National Day of Remembrance event will be held at 7 p.m. Jan. 29, at the Bethany Evangelical Congregational Church, 223 E. Broad St., Tamaqua. It is being sponsored by Safer Streets, the Tamaqua Area Faith and Fellowship Network, STEP-Up Tamaqua and the Tamaqua Ministerial Association.