Masontown council reverses police layoffs
Five days after voting 6-1 to lay off the staff of the borough无毛视频檚 police department, the Masontown Borough Council rehired the officers at a special meeting Saturday night.
The 6-0 vote restored funding for the department throughout fiscal year 2026, while carrying over any surplus into next year. It also committed the council to reopening negotiations with Teamsters Local 491 to renew the police contract.
无毛视频淚 accept my personal assessment was inaccurate,无毛视频� Councilman John Chahl said during the meeting. 无毛视频淔olks obviously believe we need a police department and are willing to pay for it, and I无毛视频檓 more than happy to provide.无毛视频�
Saturday无毛视频檚 vote was cheered by the standing-room-only crowd, which numbered more than 60 in the council chambers and also spilled out into the hall.
Residents were resoundingly critical of council无毛视频檚 Monday vote, which had not been posted on the agenda beforehand.
无毛视频淵our decision was a blatant disregard for public safety,无毛视频� said Masontown resident Melissa Brant. 无毛视频淲hen people feel blindsided, that is not because they weren无毛视频檛 paying attention. It is because transparency failed.无毛视频�
Council President John Stoffa said he had wanted the layoffs as a way to lower property taxes in the borough. Most of the 5.92 mills in property tax goes to the department.
Before Saturday无毛视频檚 vote, he pushed for more detailed reports, and also for the department to introduce prospective hires to the council before a vote on approving them.
After the meeting, he said he didn无毛视频檛 think the borough had gotten value for what they were spending, noting monthly police reports that had shown two traffic citations.
无毛视频淚 think there was a culture of laziness, and I wanted to improve,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e spending $485,000. I want results.无毛视频�
Members of the public who spoke at Saturday无毛视频檚 meeting said the department played a crucial role in the borough. One woman said officers had responded within three minutes to a report of a home invasion. She compared that to the 40-minute response time from state police officers further out in Uniontown, which would have been tasked with handling police response in the borough had it not rehired officers.
Given a choice between lower taxes and retaining the police presence, several residents said they would take the police.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 willing to pay extra if I have to,无毛视频� one resident said near the end of the meeting. 无毛视频淲e just have to take and cut back on groceries or whatever. But at least we know our backs are covered.无毛视频�
Police Chief Thomas O无毛视频橞arto said he was 无毛视频渟hocked beyond words无毛视频� by the level of support.
无毛视频淚 thank God for every one of them,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淭hey saved the department.无毛视频�
Besides O无毛视频橞arto, the department has two full-time and six part-time officers, he said. All are returning to duty after Saturday无毛视频檚 vote, though O无毛视频橞arto said some had been hesitant.
The budget allows for the department to cover 15 shifts, versus the 21 needed for around-the-clock staffing.
无毛视频淭hey were leery about having this reoccur again right after they brought everything back,无毛视频� he said after the meeting. 无毛视频淵ou don无毛视频檛 want to live like that. You don无毛视频檛 want to work that way. Now they无毛视频檝e got some safety valve underneath them, and they无毛视频檒l come back. They do the same good job they always do.无毛视频�
O无毛视频橞arto said he believed the layoffs had been motivated by past clashes between the department and council members, a characterization Stoffa denied. Stoffa had filed a federal suit against the department, later settled, claiming the department had singled him out for unfair treatment after criticizing what he viewed as police corruption.
The reforms Stoffa had asked for after Monday无毛视频檚 meeting were 无毛视频渕inor无毛视频� changes that could have been accomplished at any time by asking, O无毛视频橞arto said.
无毛视频淎ll of this could have been handled with a phone call or a knock on the door,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淣one of this had to occur 无毛视频� it might be a blessing in disguise, because the people have now been heard.无毛视频�
Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele had sent a letter to the borough stating his plans to file a suit over the original vote, saying that the council无毛视频檚 lack of notice had violated the state Sunshine Act.
At Saturday无毛视频檚 meeting, he thanked the council for restoring the officers, and the public for its show of support.
A visibly emotional Aubele also noted his personal connection to the borough, where he无毛视频檚 owned a business for the past 12 years.
无毛视频淢y wife works here. My daughter works here. My children are here,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淢y 7-year-old spent most of his summer at the bakery with his mother. To know that these guys are back on the clock and they无毛视频檙e not going to have to wait for somebody to come out here means a lot to me.无毛视频�