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WELLSBURG -- A new retirement fund for City Police was among matters before Wellsburg Council on Tuesday.
City Police Capt. Micah Knisley has suggested retirement funds for the city's police officers could be accrued through the West Virginia Municipal Police Officers and Firefighters Retirement System instead of the state Public Employee Retirement System.
The state retirement system for police and firefighters was established by the state legislature last year as an alternative to the 62-year-old public employee system, through which retirement funds are accrued for tens of thousands of state and municipal employees.
Knisley said under the new system, police officers contribute more to their retirement but are eligible for retirement sooner while the city would pay less as their employer.
Officials with the state police and firefighter system advised contribution to the fund by employees is determined by its board but is currently at 8.5 percent of the employee's gross compensation and is not to exceed 10.5 percent of that.
Mayor Dan Dudley, who was called for comment, said city officers would be eligible for retirement funds after 20 years, which could address a high turnover in the city's police department.
Council recently approved a $5 hourly raise for its officers at the request of City Police Chief Mike Allman, who noted the department has lost a number of members to other law enforcement agencies that offered higher pay.
To support the raises, two vacant full-time positions were replaced by two part-time ones. One of the two full-time slots had been eliminated earlier with the hiring of former Wellsburg officer Paul Pownall by Brooke County Schools as a school resource officer, a position he had held previously through an agreement between the city and school district.
The hiring of certified officers for the vacancies also eliminated the cost of $20,000 to $30,000 for state required training for an uncertified officer.
In other business, council:
• Accepted a bid of about $29,000 from United Security of Wellsburg for new surveillance cameras and related equipment to be posted at local parks and at City Hall and other city buildings. It was the lowest of four bids submitted for the equipment, which was sought particularly to deter vandalism at the parks.
• Heard from Eric Fithyan, president of the Wellsburg Kiwanis Club, who announced the Duck Derby will return on June 9 and there are plans for a 5K run to coincide with the event.
Last year more than 1,000 numbered plastic ducks were temporarily released into the Ohio River near the Wellsburg Wharf and prizes awarded to four individuals whose ducks were drawn, while thousands of dollars were raised for improvements to city parks.
• Tabled amending a city ordinance that would reduce the required distance between limited video lottery casinos and local schools and churches from 1,500 feet to 500 feet.
The move has been seen by some as necessary to comply with state restrictions establishing the distance as 500 feet.
• Tabled changing zoning for property at the corner of 22nd and Commerce streets from residential to commercial for the proposed establishment of a restaurant.