Lansford Borough Council on Wednesday discussed hiring a code enforcement officer instead of using the borough engineer, ARRO Consulting.

Councilman Joseph Butrie said they would need to figure out hours and pay scale, if they’re hiring, and the borough might consider a private contractor.

Council Vice President Jay Doyle said he thought they should hire someone in-house, as a borough employee.

“We should hire another borough worker, and that would be his job,” he said.

Butrie pointed out that if they hire in-house, and the person gets hurt, that it goes on the borough’s workmen’s compensation.

Markovich said that an in-house employee would be better, because then the borough has more control than over a private contractor. He pointed out that the borough had run into that in the past.

Bill McMullen of ARRO Consulting does not mind the borough taking the code back in-house, Markovich said.

“They don’t have the time for it,” he said. “He thinks it’s a great idea.”

Council members agreed to discuss the matter further in a zoning and ordinance committee meeting. Markovich pointed out that they should also discuss the potential grievance from the police union, if the borough hires someone.

The police union last year sent a letter to the borough regarding hiring a constable to enforce borough ordinances, and asked the borough to negotiate it with them, as the move took work away from officers.

Butrie said he spoke to police Chief Kyle Woodward, who said that officers would not grieve the matter while he is chief, because the borough isn’t taking work away from them. The matter has to go to the police union, he said.

Doyle pointed out that the ordinance says that council could hire or designate someone to handle code enforcement, and council members agreed that they had code enforcement officers in the past.

Woodward told council that the matter is going to an FOP representative to see if the union would give that up, or go with a 12-month cycle to see how it works out and if not, it goes back.

Councilwoman Michele Bartek asked Woodward if the borough was overrun with complaints, would the police department still step in to help.

Woodward said that officers would, and she thanked him.