Lock Haven council creates subcommittee to study policing options

Lock Haven City Council voted to form a subcommittee to study whether the city could cost-effectively offer contracted or regional police services to neighboring municipalities.

The council directed a committee composed of three council members, the police chief and the city manager to examine feasibility, likely costs and service options and report back to the full council. The motion passed on a roll-call vote recorded as six in favor and one opposed.

Council discussion revisited a 2017 regional police study that had been rejected by multiple municipalities and drew local opposition. Speakers described a range of current alternatives in the county — including neighboring municipalities that contract with Mill Hall or Woodward Township — and urged the city to assess realistic, incremental options (for example, offering contracted patrols) rather than attempting an immediate, large-scale regional consolidation.

Staff said any formal proposal would need specific cost figures from the chief and finance staff. The council asked the subcommittee to gather costs (hourly rates used by nearby municipalities were discussed as examples during debate) and to return with a report and a recommended timeline for next steps.

The committee was established with the stated purpose of evaluating feasibility and cost; the motion assignment and membership were read into the record before the vote. The council chair said the committee’s work will be time-limited and that a report will be returned to the full council when available.

Next steps: The subcommittee will schedule meetings, consult the police chief and city finance staff, and brief the council on costs and options for contracted or regionalized policing.