Most of the disciplinary charges against him are dismissed.
A fired police chief will return to Greenwich Township next week.
Richard Hummer has fought for reinstatement after his termination last July following disciplinary hearings. He is to be sworn in Monday under a settlement ratified Thursday by the township committee, which also re-establishes the terms of his previous contract, according to his attorneys.
Most of the disciplinary charges against Hummer are dropped under the agreement.
"He loves his job as chief of police and he's happy to be going back to work," said Hummer's attorney, Lawrence Y. Bitterman.
The chief next week will also drop a lawsuit against the township in which he alleged he was fired in retaliation for whistleblowing, said Doug Steinhardt, who represents Hummer in the litigation.
Greenwich Township police Chief Richard Hummer, far right, attends a disciplinary hearing in February 2015. (lehighvalleylive.com file photo) Hummer started as a Greenwich Township patrolman in 2003 and became chief in 2013.
A township-commissioned investigation last year said Hummer's department lacked leadership and accountability. A later report from a county prosecutor monitor within the department said any problems were the result of poor communication, not the chief's fault.
The settlement dismisses most disciplinary charges, which included conduct unbecoming an officer and misconduct. Hummer accepts a reprimand for inefficiency and failure to submit requested overtime reports, according to the resolution.
The chief will return under the terms of his prior contract, which expires at the end of the year. He will also receive back pay, the resolution says.
Chief's lawsuit: Firing was retaliation
In addition, Hummer will be paid a $70,000 lump sum for his lawsuit alleging the township violated the Conscientious Employee Protection Act. The township's insurance carrier is to pay $60,000 of the claim.
Most of the township committee that fired Hummer has since been replaced in a series of unrelated resignations, and was blamed by the current committee for the situation, according to a report from WFMZ-TV.
"You had people sitting up here (on the dais) who were a train wreck," the station quoted Committeeman Bill Kanyuck as saying. "They wanted to control every employee here from a $10,000 time clock they never used."
The settlement was approved in a 4-0 vote. Committeeman Jim Adams, the lone holdover from the prior year, was absent.
"It's been a long year for everybody," Mayor Will Spencer told lehighvalleylive.com. "It's time to start moving forward, getting our department back to where it was."
P'burg police chief announces retirement
Shortly after his firing, Hummer was hired as a patrolman by the Washington Township Police Department, which is now in the process of filling the pending vacancy.
"We were figuring that he would be returning (to Greenwich) sooner or later," Washington Chief Tom Cicerelle said Friday. He credited now-retired Chief James McDonald with bringing Hummer aboard.
"We had an opening and it was the right thing to do on Chief McDonald's part, helping a fellow officer," Cicerelle said. "I wish him the best of luck and I'm glad that the situation in Greenwich is finally over."
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.