Lansford Borough needs to step back and see if it can afford to hire another full-time officer, its council president said this week.

Numerous residents brought concerns about police matters — including noise, drugs, parking, harassment, motor vehicle violations and the lack of action by some officers — during a special meeting Tuesday.

Resident Denise Leibensperger asked about the police budget, which council members had said was $70,000 over budget.

She wanted to know how many officers were budgeted for, as in the past council budgeted for six full-time officers and a chief, she said.

The borough has two full-time officers, five part-time officers and no chief.

Markovich said that council budgeted for four full-time officers, including a chief, and Leibensperger asked if he felt there was less crime now than four years ago.

“I’m saying we don’t have the money,” Markovich replied. “That’s the issue.”

Leibensperger asked how much was budgeted for police, and Markovich believed it was $864,000. Council budgeted $812,900 for police for 2025, and budgeted $758,375 for police in 2024, according to the adopted 2025 and 2024 budgets.

Council was also asked if the police department was over budget by $70,000, and Markovich said the department was over budget by $100,000, but it was one line item.

On Wednesday, Markovich said that the borough spent $75,000 over budget for part-time officers so far this year, and needs to see where else in the police budget that money is going to come from.

“We need to determine the costs for a full-time officer for the remainder of the year to make sure we have the money,” he said in an email.

Councilwoman Jennifer Staines last month asked council members if they could schedule a meeting to review the budget, specifically borough spending in the first half of 2025.

That meeting was expected to happen this month, but Markovich said Staines never asked for any paperwork to start a review.

“We certainly need to discuss the budget at the next workshop meeting,” he said.

Council was hoping to hire additional full-time officers this year to bolster its police force, and looked to the newly reorganized Civil Service Commission to provide a list.

Council decertified the eligibility list submitted due to procedural errors, but the Civil Service Commission chair told council this week that none of the potential candidates passed the physical agility tests, therefore failing to qualify.

Council also held off on hiring a full-time officer outside of civil service, which is allowable if a community has less than three full-time officers.

“We need to determine the costs for a full-time officer for the remainder of the year to make sure we have the money,” Markovich said in an email.

He explained that it may appear that the borough is saving money by hiring a full-time officer, but there are costs associated with that hire from day one, he said.

“The new fulltime officer is entitled to all his vacation, sick and personal time,” Markovich said. “None of this is prorated.”

The officer is also entitled to his life insurance buy back and complete uniforms, he said, and the health care may be the only prorated benefit provided.

Markovich also wanted to see what the costs were going to be to continue to schedule part-time officers to provide coverage through the end of the year, and see where those funds would come from.