The Schuylkill Township Supervisors are having trouble deciding on police protection and a part-time streets worker.

The supervisors on Wednesday again discussed police protection, and again took no action.

At their last meeting, motions by Supervisor Chairman Charles Fayash to hire two officers at $26 per hour failed for lack of a second.

Fayash said the township has enough money in the 2024 budget to hire the new officers at the $26 rate.

At that meeting, Doug Litwhiler, the officer in charge of the township department, brought two candidates to be new officers who were the first candidates in months to apply.

The supervisors are paying $21 per hour now for part-time officers, but Litwhiler said he had to promise $26 per hour to hire the two new officers.

After the motions to hire the officers failed, Litwhiler left the meeting, and returned shortly with a letter that said he would not be available to work “until further notice.”

But Litwhiler was at Wednesday’s meeting, and gave the police report. He said he and the township’s other officer, former Chief Frank Demarco, would oversee the township’s observance of Halloween from 6 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 31.

Demarco left as chief at the beginning of the year, but said he wanted to serve as an officer. He did work some hours in the last month, according to payroll the supervisors reviewed.

Supervisor Gary Feathers asked Litwhiler where he was getting bullets after Litwhiler said last month the police department was out of bullets. Litwhiler said he was using his own personal bullets.

Feathers also asked Litwhiler if he had submitted certificates he had completed training for. Litwhiler said he did not get certificates for the training.

“You could tell you don’t want police,” Litwhiler told Feathers. “Why don’t you just disband the police department?”

Feathers said a tax increase would be needed to give police a raise.

Dana Brubaker, the township’s treasurer, said if the supervisors did give police a raise, a tax increase would be needed — based on the $26 per hour rate.

But Brubaker said township finances have been in the red for years, and if it wasn’t for a surplus the township has been carrying, a tax increase would have been necessary.

Township Secretary Ann Miller said the last time the township had a tax increase was 2008.

The supervisors scheduled a budget work session for 6 p.m. on Nov. 6, and canceled their scheduled meeting for Nov. 4.

They tabled the hiring of police and whether to give them a raise,

Miller said the township is not collecting enough money from zoning permits to cover their expenses with Light and Heigel, the firm who handles the township’s zoning matters. The supervisors also tabled the zoning fee issue.

On the matter of hiring the township worker, Mark Buccieri, the township’s road foreman, said those who responded to the newspaper advertisement for the position were either not qualified, or lived an hour or more away from the township.