The Tamaqua Police Department will be getting a new full-time police officer.

During a meeting held Tuesday, borough council voted unanimously to hire Devin Dellock to the open post.

Her appointment will bring the force to nine full-timers - a number borough Police Chief Michael Hobbs has said will help the department continue to provide service around the clock.

Dellock’s start date will be determined in the near future.

“We do have a position open so all we are doing is filling the position from the Civil Service list that we just received,” council President Brian Connely explained.

He noted that it will be the first time the borough has had a female in a full-time law enforcement post.

“We have part-timers in the past but this will be our first full-time, so that is good stuff,” Connely said.

The position will be funded in part by a 0.25 mill tax increase in the borough’s 2023 budget.

While discussing the tax bump late last year, members stressed that they didn’t want to raise rates but knew that the department was down by one full-timer.

At that time, Hobbs said the department had been filling open shifts with part-time employees. But, he said, part-time workers are difficult to retain.

“We are a 24-hour department. We need that manpower. We need to lock somebody in,” Hobbs previously said.

Also during the meeting, council hired Riley Robinette as a part-time police officer effective immediately.

Other positions

Other appointments council approved during the meeting include Emma Coccio as an assistant pool manager at a rate of $15 per hour; Alex Porambo as a lifeguard at a rate of $10 an hour, and Susan Coombe as a pool clerk at a rate of $9 per hour.

The pool at Bungalow Park is scheduled to open on May 28.