SAXONBURG — Whatever money the borough loses once District Judge Sue Haggerty’s office is relocated might be offset with funds from the police department budget.

Borough Councilman Rich Foust said the net loss from the office moving out of the borough building to the Dinnerbell Square building across Main Street should come from the police allottment.

“We should take it out of the police budget so it doesn’t cost the taxpayers a cent,” he said.

The borough is losing more than $20,000 in 2013 because of the office relocation, which will occur by the end of this year.

County President Judge Thomas Doerr initiated the office relocation because state Supreme Court guidelines require that district courts should not be in the same buildings as police departments.

Doerr previously said problems occurring between Haggerty and borough police were due in part to the proximity of their offices.

The state Judicial Conduct Board is investigating a complaint filed against Haggerty by Saxonburg Police Chief Joe Beachem.

The county commissioners last week approved a lease termination with the borough.

Beachem said decreasing his department’s budget wouldn’t be welcomed.

“Obviously if that were to happen, nobody in the police department would be very excited about it,” Beachem said.

Foust said the borough should try to convince the county to keep Haggerty’s office in the borough building and the police department be moved.

“I think she should stay,” he said.

Foust said under that scenario, the borough would pay for the police department’s rent from the police budget.

But if that plan doesn’t bear fruit, he said, then any net loss from losing the county lease also comes from the police budget.

Council president Bill Gillespie said pursuing that option is unlikely.

“From what I understand, there is no changing of the mind,” he said about Doerr’s decision.

Gillespie said the borough was in the process of looking into that alternative when it was determined the district court must leave.

He pointed out moving the police department wouldn’t come without a price.

“We relocate the police department, we have an expense there,” Gillespie said.

Foust said even if the borough finds another tenant for the space on the bottom level of the borough building, that rent amount could be lower than what the county paid.

Gillespie agreed the police budget is the likeliest place to make up the loss in revenue.

“That’s not to punish the police department,” he said.

Gillespie said council woud be reluctant to raise property taxes, so the money has to come from somewhere.

“We’re in big trouble with this budget,” he said.

Gillespie said a likely area to be reduced would be part-time police hours.

Beachem said that step would hurt coverage in the borough.

While the conduct board investigation is ongoing, Saxonburg officers are filing the paperwork for their charges at the Chicora district court.

Beachem said his department makes two to three trips a week to Chicora. He didn’t know how much costs have risen as a result.

“Obviously, there’s a fuel expenditure there,” Beachem said.