EVANS CITY — Council has ended talks with Jackson Township for police services, according to council president Cheri Deener-Kohan, denying a potential exchange for reservoir property in the borough.

As of the borough council meeting Monday, Nov. 6, the item was removed from the old business and discussion section of the agenda.

“We’re not selling, and we’re trying to get something else,” Deener-Kohan said. “We’ll go a different route at this time.”

While there are no plans “in writing,” she said the council would be looking at alternative police services as the Evans City-Seven Fields Regional Police Department nears dissolution.

“I would say we’ve probably got a good year that we can ponder a lot of different things and come up with something,” Deener-Kohan said.

She said the borough could draw inspiration from neighboring municipalities, considering ideas like hiring someone to come in and work one shift a day, paying minimum rate.

According to Chief Joe McCombs — one of two remaining officers with the department — that rate was $25 an hour, she said, and the part-time shifts would help supplement state police coverage in the borough.

“So if we look at him and say we want two a day, whoever comes in, we have a car and they can use it,” Deener-Kohan said.

She also suggested the establishment of a public safety committee on council to oversee these services.

“It is cumbersome, but something’s got to give, so that we’re aware of what’s happening in our town,” Deener-Kohan said.

As the Evans City-Seven Fields Regional Police Department continues it dissolution, hinging on buyout negotiations with remaining officers McCombs and Sgt. Donald Meyers, solicitor Ryan Mergl recommended the borough establish a labor committee.

“We’ll have a labor committee for the municipality outside the confines of the commission,” Mergl said.

The labor committee would consist of one borough representative of the regional police commission as well as one member of the borough council, according to Mergl, with Seven Fields organizing its own labor committee in kind.

“It’s really to streamline the process, because then the whole bodies wouldn’t have to meet prior to every police offer, counter offer,” he said. “We would have a committee to make that decision.”

Council also approved hiring Watenpool Appraisal Services to appraise the reservoir property in the borough.

According to Deener-Kohan, the appraisal would cost the borough approximately $1,800 and be given within 30 days.

Additionally, the council hired forester Ed Laidlaw with Laidlaw Timber Services for timber sale on the property.

“We have a lot of very mature trees,” Deener-Kohan said, “and we were not calling a lumber company to come in and do it because they don’t always follow what’s best for it, so we got a forester.”

She said Laidlaw would take 10% of whatever he sells from the property.

“It will eliminate, hopefully, some of the big trees so that we can develop something more out there that we can’t now,” Deener-Kohan said, “because they’re all over the place.”