Lansford Borough Council moved forward with upgrading computers for its police department following a brief presentation from Cloud Service Center Tuesday night.

Dan Moyer from Cloud Service spoke to council about the aging computer system, and the life expectancy of the equipment.

The current system is 12 years old, he said, and updating the computers, especially with the latest security patches, becomes a problem as they age.

“When things can no longer be patched and kept up to date, they need to be replaced,” Moyer said.

Microsoft dictates when computers need to be replaced from a security standpoint, he said, pointing out that Windows 10 is going to expire next year, which means people need to upgrade.

“There’s a lot of systems that are going to be replaced by October of next year,” Moyer said. “But the police server is ending its life expectancy.”

The current police server, which is a Dell, was a good product for its time 12 years ago, he said.

“It’s a security risk at this point,” Moyer said.

The borough’s existing equipment is now too old to run the newer operating systems, and needs to replaced, he said.

Cloud Services will also get email “squared away” for the police department, and ensure that they have the proper tools or programs, such as Word and Excel, to create documents, Moyer said.

Council approved purchasing the new computer system for the police at a cost of $19,470, which is an updated price from one previously given. Council last week tabled a move to purchase the new equipment for $22,118 also from Cloud Service.

Moyer believed they could have the new system by the first week of March, as it takes about two weeks for orders to arrive.

Council will be using COVID-19 relief funds to pay for the computer equipment.

Council also approved an agreement to open the police contract for the sole purpose of purchasing new weapons for the department. Council did not have the costs associated with the move, but old guns will be traded in.

Additionally for police, council voted down a request for training from police Sgt. Shawn Nunemacher. The item was not on the agenda, and brought forward by Councilwoman Jennifer Staines, who heads the public safety committee.

The course was the Police Supervisory In-Service Training (POSIT), which was a virtual course offered by Penn State at a cost of $814. The course was set to begin Feb. 26.

Council members were concerned about filling the police schedule, and Police Chief Kyle Woodward was not at the meeting to answer questions.

Council members noted that it was a good training course for police, and the course offering does come up frequently. Council voted 4-3 against the training, citing scheduling concerns.

In other business, council:

• Extended the due date for rental license applications to April 30. The request was made by ARRO Consulting as it works through a list of potential rental properties that are not on the books.

• Approved advertising for refuse collection services in the borough. The current contract with Tamaqua Transfer expires April 30. Council will be seeking prices for regular garbage collection, a borough-wide cleanup and an electronics collection.

• Hired a new general secretary for the borough, Ashley McLaughlin of Lansford. Council did not designate a borough secretary or treasurer. New secretary, Maria Ahner, started Tuesday and attended council’s meeting.