STONE HARBOR – The Borough Council is proceeding with a reorganization of parts of its Police Department that will reduce the force from 18 to 17 sworn officers.

The reorganization plan, which removes a lieutenant position from the salary ordinance, was introduced on May 20. The plan as introduced also eliminates the rank of administrative sergeant.

The department had initially been considered as a possible candidate for a shared-service arrangement with a neighboring municipality. But that concept elicited strong opposition from members of the public who chose to speak on the topic at council meetings. The 2025 budget contains no shared-service plans for any public safety departments.

One Police Department reorganization plan considered in April by the council eliminated the position of captain and drew opposition from members of the force. Mayor Tim Carney and the council’s Administration and Finance Committee pledged to work with the department to refine the plan, and the new plan was introduced May 20.

The reorganization was part of an overall budget process that reduced expenses from the previous year while also moving some expenses to positions that are not part of the state appropriations cap calculation.

The borough was facing a potential need to ask the state for a waiver of its appropriation cap given the small cap margins that remained for necessary increases in spending. All areas of borough operations were reviewed in order to stay within the cap limits. One of those was a personnel reorganization of the Police Department.

The changes are scheduled for a public hearing at the council meeting on June 17 at 5 p.m. in Borough Hall, and a vote to adopt could follow the hearing.

Contact the reporter, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.