EVANS CITY — Residents continued to take borough council to task regarding the borough’s uncertain police contract situation.

About 40 people attended Monday’s council meeting to once again support retaining the borough police force, whose contract expires at the end of this year.

The borough is considering contracting with Jackson Township for police coverage. The majority of residents who have attended the past few meetings have backed the borough police.

Council also considered contracting with Zelienople police, but Zelienople council voted in July to retract its offer because of its disapproval of recent contract actions by Evans City.

At Monday’s meeting, Evans City police Chief Joe McCombs told council members they should consider the future when considering a contract with Jackson Township.

McCombs said given the projected residential, commercial and traffic growth in Jackson, the borough should consider having a long-term financial analysis done.

He said Jackson might have to add officers as growth occurs, and then Evans City could end up paying a portion of those increased costs.

McCombs said it would make fiscal sense to figure out if the borough can sustain a long-term merger with Jackson.

“In seven years from now, it may cost you a lot more money to stay in that service,” McCombs said.

The chief added that once council decides to contract with another municipality, it would be difficult financially to return to local coverage.

“Let’s be honest, if you go into a venture like this, you’re not coming back out of it,” McCombs said.

When residents agreed with McCombs, council voted to work with McCombs in preparing a 20-year financial study, which will include an analysis of expected police services.

McCombs also said that adding the pensions of Evans City’s two full-time officers might present a financial issue with Jackson. He doubts Jackson would agree to that, meaning additional cost for Evans City in a contract.

McCombs also said he highly doubts Jackson would agree to enforce Evans City’s nuisance ordinances or to perform code enforcement.

Because of council’s claim that contracting with another municipality could save the borough money, one resident asked council President Bill Painter for an estimate regarding the savings he thinks would make contracting with Jackson feasible.

Painter said a $30,000 savings in police costs would be the minimum he would accept to make a merger feasible.

Another resident suggested that several other areas of the budget, including the budget surplus and savings in other departments, would easily pay that $30,000.

The council agreed that the negotiating committee will continue talks with borough police and with Jackson Township once an actuary supplies a report on finances, hopefully within a few weeks.

Painter said borough council members will at least have an opinion on the police situation at the Sept. 5 meeting.