Mechanicsburg Police Captain Scott Bodey talks with North Lewisburg Village Councilmember Ted Murphy following Tuesday night’s council meeting. The patch on Bodey’s shoulder with be changing in six months to North Lewisburg Police, as council approved the creation of the village’s own police force, with Bodey in charge. (Journal-Tribune photo by Chad Williamson)
Six months from now, Captain Scott Bodey will still be patrolling the streets of North Lewisburg in his police vehicle, but the patch on his shoulder will change.
North Lewisburg Village Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to create its own police department, having been served for the last three years by Mechanicsburg and by the Champaign County Sheriff’s Department before that.
“The police department will be formed by Captain Bodey and he will report directly to me,” mayor Cheryl Hollingsworth said after the vote, to applause from the small crowd in attendance. Bodey currently works for the Mechanicsburg department.
Hollingsworth praised the relationship with Mechanicsburg and said the transition is a matter of finances. She said hiring Bodey should not create any problems because he was hired by Mechanicsburg specifically to police North Lewisburg.
Mechanicsburg stepped in to provide dedicated coverage to the village for 80 hours per week after a similar arrangement with the Champaign County Sheriff’s Department fell through in 2017.
But with the contract set to expire in April, North Lewisburg officials found price increases built into the proposed new agreement. At the time the original contract was signed, Mechanicsburg came in with a price just above $100,000 per year. The most recent estimate from Mechanicsburg puts the annual cost at $158,000.
With North Lewisburg already providing the patrol vehicle for its officers, officials felt it might be more cost effective for the village to create its own police force. The numbers confirmed that idea.
The village believes its initial year of operation will cost about $148,000 per year, falling to $108,000 the following year. The reason for the original higher figure is startup costs, such as creating a secure area for evidence storage at the village municipal building.
The village also set aside $35,000 for the purchase of a new cruiser, keeping the current 6-year-old vehicle to serve as a backup.
Hollingsworth said operating its own department will also allow the village to quickly adjust police coverage as needed, such as increasing patrols in the summer months when children are not in school.
Because the decision comes so close to the deadline on the conract, Hollingsworth said she will be in negotiations with Mechanicsburg to finalize a 6-month extension on the current contract. The mayor said Mechanicsburg officials had offered to work on a one-year extension so she believes a shorter term should be workable.
During the extension, Bodey will handle administrative duties involved in setting up the department.
In other business, council:
•Approved a new contract with Allied Waste Systems for trash collection in the village. The new, reduced rate contract charges residents $16 per month for the first two years, offers senior citizens a 10% discount and offers free 96-gallon toters. Council members Robin Street and Jennifer Ohashi voiced concerns over the past performance of Allied and were told village administrator Andy Yoder is working more directly with the company on complaints.
•Accepted a contract with DP&L for electric service at a handful of village owned properties.
•Agreed to change the regular start time of meetings from 7 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
•Discussed village clean-up week, which will run from April 25-May 1. Officials are considering reducing the days in which large dumpsters are available for large item dropoffs.