SUNBURY— The Sunbury City Council has voted unanimously in favor of hiring Timothy Miller as the new part-time administrative police chief. At their meeting Monday night, they hired Miller, who is currently an assistant chief of the Williamsport Police Department. He’ll be working up to 16 hours per week in Sunbury.
Miller says he is looking forward to the challenge ahead of him saying, “I enjoy a challenge. I see this as being a challenge, it’s a chance for me to broaden my horizons so to speak. I believe that it’s much easier for a person to come into a police department and actually lead a department when they don’t come from within that department. So, I thrive on that opportunity to be able to come here and make the police department and community better. “
The city has agreed to a one year contract at $35,000 with a 6 to 8 month extension period if needed. The department hasn’t had an administrative police chief since 2002.
Mayor David Persing says the money saved from hiring part-time as opposed to full-time could be enough to hire another officer, “We are just looking at a flat $35,000 and again that saves me somewhere in the $100,000 to $110,000 range, that hopefully I can use that money towards another police officer.”
The money for a new police officer all depends on the outcome of the Police Department contract which is still in arbitration. (Sarah Benek)
