Police Committee Formed To Consider Consolidation In Yardley

YARDLEY BOROUGH, PA — For several years, the topic of consolidating the Yardley Borough Police Department has been brought up by council members and residents.

Borough officials have mentioned that the police department costs account for at least 40 percent of the small borough's budget.

And with former Police Chief Joseph Kelly III now established as the head of the Lower Makefield Township Police Department, a Police Transition Committee has been established to weigh options for the future of the borough's police department.

At its July 15 meeting, Borough Council began interviewing residents to serve on the panel.

Among the candidates were Dawn Perlmutter, Roxanne Joseph Markey, David Kennedy, Dan Mohn, Ramy Mahmoud, Jeffrey J. Schrader, Peter Weremijenko, Shirley Corsey, Rich Wayne, and Matt Sinberg.

Yardley Borough Councilman Jared Stump said there has been some discussion of exploring the cost of potentially disbanding the police department and contracting police coverage from another municipality.

"I believe this course of action will leave the residents of Yardley Borough with less police coverage and traffic enforcement," Stump said. "While it may cost less in the short term, the long-term costs will likely be much greater, and not just monetary."

Stump said that when the committee was first formed in April, it was comprised of council members Caroline Thompson, Uri Feiner, and Kim Segal-Morris, Mayor Chris Harding, Borough Manager Paula Johnson, and one member of the public, who served as a volunteer to the police under Police Chief Kelly for years. (The latter individual has since resigned from the committee.)

Stump said that in May, he, Feiner, and Councilman David Appelbaum suggested that all of council should vote on the committee's makeup and add members of the public to gain outside perspectives.

The interviews were conducted in a public meeting with every member of the council present to ensure a high level of transparency, Stump said.

Four members of the public were appointed: Mohn and Wayne (who are both former members of the Yardley Borough Council), Mahmoud, and Weremijenko.

According to borough officials, the Police Transition Committee is tasked with evaluating the current and future policing needs of the borough.

The committee will:

• Review the department’s structure, staffing, and service delivery.
• Analyze options for maintaining an independent police department or exploring shared services models with other municipalities, considering legal, operational, and financial impacts.
• Engage stakeholders — including officers, staff, council members, and residents—to ensure transparency and build community trust.
• Conduct a financial and operational review of the current police budget, staffing costs, and long-term sustainability under various service models.
• Provide a written recommendation to Borough Council outlining findings, rationale, and a recommended path forward, including an implementation roadmap.

The committee will operate as a recommending body to the council. While members may build consensus around issues, the committee has no voting authority; all final decisions rest with the Borough Council.