Published: May 03, 2009 11:34 pm      

Central City set to sign police deal with Paint Twp.

CENTRAL CITY — Borough council is expected to sign a deal this month with Paint Township to extend police patrols.

The four-year deal will give Central City full-time police coverage for $31,500 a year.

“All we need to do is sign it,” borough Council President Dan Dabbs said.

The contract with Paint Township includes some changes from the previous year, he said last week.

“We just had to update it to make it a multi-year contract so we don’t have to go through this every year,” Dabbs said.

Township police have been patrolling Central City since 2005. The borough had its own police department until veteran Chief Larry Wechtenhiser was called to National Guard duty in 2002.

The new contract is retroactive to January and covers the years 2009 to 2012.

“It’s working out well,” Paint police Chief Rick Skiles said.

Officers patrol the borough each shift and provide traffic control, he said.

Dabbs said the deal has been good for residents and police are performing their duties well.

“They have met our expectations and at times exceeded them,” he said.