The departure of Sugarcreek police Chief Matt Carlson on Aug. 31 drew heat over the uncertainty of the future of the position during Wednesday evening’s Sugarcreek Borough Council meeting.
Community member Linda Turner questioned whether Lt. Ryan Ashbaugh, who was named interim chief, would be named permanent chief or if the borough was seeking a permanent replacement for Carlson. Council President Bogan Goughler indicated Ashbaugh would remain interim chief until Jan. 1.
“They need another,” Turner said.
“There is insufficient money in the (current) budget” to pay an additional officer, Spaid said.
Borough Manager Joe Sporer, when asked after the meeting, would only say the future of the police chief position beyond 2018 hasn’t been discussed.
Carlson, who was appointed chief in 2009, served with Sugarcreek police for 27 years.
In other business:
– Ashbaugh requested a motion, which passed unanimously, to send senior patrolman Joe Highfield and patrolman Matt Johnson to Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement training in Youngsville on Nov. 19 and 20.
“We’re seeing an increase of driving under the influence incidents,” Ashbaugh said.
An increasing number of these incidents, he said, are people driving under the influence of drugs.
ARIDE is a program that adds to an officer’s existing knowledge of DUI testing and helps identify those under the influence of drugs, but not alcohol.
– Ashbaugh asked council to approve two and a half hours of overtime for an added officer during trick or treat on Oct. 31. Councilman James Speth and Goughler opposed the motion, leading Sugarcreek Mayor Charlie McDaniel to break the tie by voting in favor to carry the motion.
– Sporer announced there will be an hour-long meeting, which will follow council’s regular meeting, on Oct. 3 at 8 p.m. to explain results of a recent water feasibility report.
The study is being conducted on behalf of Sugar Creek Station and Sugar Valley Lodge, which wish to connect to a local water system.
The facilities currently produce water for a collective 330 residents, employees and visitors who use or consume roughly 25,000 gallons of water a day from existing wells. The study is headed by the engineering firm Arcadis.
The next Sugarcreek Borough Council meeting will be on Oct. 3 at 7 p.m.
