The Lackawanna City Council on Tuesday approved a request by Mayor Geoffrey M. Szymanski to create an additional police captain's position and eliminate a lieutenant's position through attrition, as a way to streamline the Police Department and save more than $50,000 annually.
The budget ordinance, which was passed by 3-0 vote, calls for a lieutenant to be promoted to captain after the elimination of a detective's post. Currently, there is only one captain in the department, while traditionally there have been two, lawmakers explained after the Council's regular bimonthly business meeting Tuesday.
"There's too much work on the one [captain], which, in turn, [creates] too much overtime," said 4th Ward Councilman Keith E. Lewis.
Asked why the change is being made four months before the mayor releases his proposed budget in May, Lewis said that it made sense to pursue the savings now.
"If that's the right thing to move our police force forward and to save the taxpayers' money, let's go. Why wait?" Lewis said.
Meanwhile, the lawmakers also unanimously agreed to allow citizens the right to address the Council at the start of its meetings and again at the conclusion. Last year, lawmakers restricted the public to speaking only once at the start of the Council meetings and limited to comments to those pertaining to agenda items.
The amended ordinance does not change that restriction, Council President Henry R. Pirowski said, but as a practical matter, the public would not be held to that rule.
The Council also withdrew a request by the school district to use the bocce court in Bethlehem Park as one of four polling places for a special school district election March 20.
Meanwhile, there was no discussion Tuesday on filling the 2nd Ward seat that was vacated by Szymanski when he assumed the role of mayor this month.
The 3rd Ward councilman, Francis J. Kulcyzk, who is ill, was absent.
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