Manheim Township has a "very good police department" that is getting ready to add a new community — Lancaster Township — to its coverage area in 2010.
And the 70-plus-member department will be doing that with a new three-year contract, approved Monday night by township commissioners.
The agreement covers 2010, 2011 and 2012 and will give the police annual pay increases of 3 percent, 3.5 percent and 4 percent over the course of the contract.
Commissioner Carol Simpson, who with other township officials helped negotiate the pact with police, called it a "very productive and efficient negotiating process."
The township police department has 54 sworn officers and 18 civilian employees, and also currently serves East Petersburg Borough as well as Manheim Township. Its chief is Neil Harkins.
Starting Jan. 1, Manheim Township also will begin patrolling Lancaster Township.
The two townships this fall approved a $1-million-a-year five-year pact for Manheim Township police to patrol the neighboring suburb.
The negotiations took some three months and "there were some trade-offs," township Manager Michael Rimer said Monday.
"We have a very good police department," said Commissioners President Larry Downing, who added with a smile, "almost as good as we do a board of commissioners."
The police agreement was approved unanimously by the commissioners.
In their unusually brief half-hour meeting Monday, the commissioners also announced they will consider final adoption of Manheim Township's 2010 budget at their next meeting at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 14.
Township officials in early November presented a $17.25 million spending plan that requires no hike in the township's 2009 1.9-mill real estate tax rate. Even though property taxes are holding the line, a newly approved fire tax of 0.43 mills will be assessed starting next year.
The commissioners must vote on the budget before the end of the year.