Peabody down to 1 cop

By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

Medina Sulejmani, the last Peabody police officer who worked under former Police Chief Travis Wilson, gave new Police Chief Phillip Crom her letter of resignation Monday.

Her final day will be Aug. 5. She has accepted a job with Park City’s police department.

Although Sulejmani has negotiated with Park City since soon after Wilson resigned after a contentious executive session May 28, a decision that was made Thursday during a special Peabody City Council meeting likely added to her unhappiness.

Council members voted 4-0 to allow Crom to drive a police car back and forth between his Towanda home and the city.

Sulejmani, who lives nearer to Peabody than Crom, earlier was told she couldn’t drive her squad car home.

“The reason I want to bring this up is because I’ve had several people ask me,” Mayor Catherine Weems said. “A while back, the council decided that they didn’t like the police car leaving town.”

Weems noted that Crom had said he was willing to take calls at night, Weems said.

“To me it makes sense if we want him to stay involved,” she said. “Right now, it makes sense to start out this way.”

City council members also voted Thursday to increase the city’s proposed tax levy from $423,000 in 2024 to $450,830 for 2025 and notify the county clerk that the city intended to exceed its revenue neutral rate.

Rising costs and employee salaries will require more money, Weems said.

“Our goal is to have the minimum impact possible,” Weems said.

The budget won’t be final until after a hearing Sept. 9, when residents may comment on it.

Interim city clerk Jonathan Clayton-King said that under normal circumstances the city would have help from an accountant in planning its budget.

“We don’t have that this year,” Clayton-King said.

The proposed mill rate for 2025 is 87.269.