Lansford Borough Council tabled action on police salaries last week, deferring to a special meeting today.

Council did not act on setting salaries for Amie Barclay and Danilo Garcia, who last month were approved as full-time officers on a 3-3 deadlock council vote with the mayor breaking the tie.

Both have been working as part-time officers in the borough with Barclay having been employed for 17 years, and Garcia since November 2024.

Council held off on setting a salary for police Sgt. Shawn Nunemacher as police chief at $95,000 under a three-year contract, pending the signing of said contract.

Nunemacher has been serving as officer in charge since the departure of former police chief, Kyle Woodward, who resigned as of the end of March 2025.

Councilwoman Michele Bartek questioned if the officers had completed all the testing first, before council moved ahead with contracted salaries.

“Why are we putting the cart before the horse?” she asked.

Mayor Denise Leibensperger said that the officers had been tested and council was given an eligibility list by the borough Civil Service Commission to move ahead with hiring.

Resident Erin Soberick, who administers a community social media page, interjected into council’s discussion, asking if they had read the civil service rules.

Both the mayor and Council President Joe Genits objected to Soberick’s comment, with Genits telling her she was “out of order.”

“Keep it to yourself so you can post it on your website whatever way you want,” he told her.

Bartek attempted to restate her question, when a side exchange between Genits and Councilwoman Gwyneth Collevechio occurred with Genits saying Soberick got council information from council members.

“How dare you,” Collevechio responded to Genits’ comment regarding council leaks.

“Dare me, go ahead,” Genits responded.

Bartek who was still trying to raise a question, said, “Please can we stop the baby crap? From our president no less.”

The officers still need their physicals and psychological evaluations completed, Bartek said, and that should be done before they were made full-time officers and change their rates.

Councilman John Zym, who attended via video conference, wanted to know what the difference was from what the officers were doing now in service to the borough.

“The only difference is going to be is they’re going to be designated a full-time officer,” he said. “Their job is going to be the same.”

Leibensperger agreed and said they’d also be able to fill gaps on the schedule with them full time.

Councilman Bruce Markovich said they should have offered full-time employment conditioned upon their passing their polygraph, physical and any other testing required last month.

“That is what we’ve always done in the past, and that’s what we should have done this past meeting.” he said. “It should have been a conditional offer based upon them passing it.”

Leibensperger pointed out that one candidate just had this testing within the last two years, when hired.

Markovich pointed out that there is a difference between an officer working one day a week and five days a week, and it’s a safeguard for the borough to do this.

Leibensperger said those officers have been working five days a week and asked the solicitor for an opinion.

“Theoretically, if they’re already working more than 40 hours, they can apply to the (Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board) to be considered full-time anyway,” Solicitor Bob Yurchak said.

Bartek said that she wanted to make sure the testing was completed, so the borough was protected.

“If the testing is not done, we are not covered as a borough,” she said. “I am for the people of this borough to protect them from any more lawsuits. We can’t afford it.”

Yurchak suggested, “instead of arguing until midnight,” that council make the offer to officers conditional and if also at their discretion, waive any other testing requirements at that time.

“That’s what I’m suggesting, it’s up to council to do whatever you want to do,” Yurchak said, adding that they should move to table the three motions until the special meeting.

Collevechio asked if it was too late to offer conditional employment, because of council acting on hiring last month.

“They’ve been hired at the last meeting,” Genits said. “Right now, you’re setting the pay.”

The part-time officers get $30 an hour now, and the motions would increase that pay to $33.93, he said. Collevechio then questioned the higher rate, and where that was set.

“What you’re doing is you’re waiving their probationary period because they’ve been here for that extended period of time above and beyond a new recruit or someone coming from the academy,” Genits said.

“You’re waiving it basically to pay them the salary that is in their current police contract,” he said.

Collevechio said that the agenda didn’t say that was the contract rate and she didn’t know that it was in the police contract.

Leibensperger also corrected Genits saying that they’re not union members yet, so it isn’t “their contract” but the “per the (police) contract.”

Council members and the mayor then bantered back and forth about the part-time pay rate and what other communities are paying, and how much the borough’s insurance package is for full-time officers justifying the wages.

Genits asked for a motion to table three motions regarding police salaries until the special meeting, and Bartek said that maybe the officers will have completed testing by then.

Soberick again interjected, asking who was doing the testing — if it was council or civil service — saying that council didn’t even know that yet.

“We’ll take care of it. We don’t need anything. I ask for people to put their hand up if they have something to say. So please don’t speak up,” Genits said to Soberick.

Council approved tabling the motions with Zym opposed.