Penn Hills meeting postponed after personnel board tables police chief hiring rules revision

The presiding officer in a Penn Hills council meeting announced that a personnel board meeting held the previous day to review and update rules for hiring a police chief was tabled because the board’s attorney was not available, and the council’s public meeting was postponed and adjourned pending further counsel review.

The chair said the board had concluded the current rules governing the chief’s job were “simply too strict,” and gave a hypothetical example, saying “one of the terms is something like 20 years,” which the chair said would effectively disqualify applicants in their 30s. The chair added that because the personnel board had not had an opportunity to consult with legal counsel, it did not reach or forward a formal recommendation to council.

Roll call recorded Mayor Calib, Deputy Mayor Rafosco, Councilman Waldron, Councilman Cartright and Councilman Caresus as present. The chair told attendees the meeting would be postponed until the personnel board could confer with counsel and produce a recommendation, and that the public would be notified when the meeting is rescheduled. The meeting was then adjourned.

No formal motion or vote on changes to the hiring rules was recorded in the transcript; the personnel board’s review remains tabled and no new effective rule or date was announced.