The Dublin Police Department has received a N.H. Highway Safety matching grant for $6,575 for speed detection equipment.
The grant was accepted by the Select Board in a 2-1 vote Monday. Dissenting Selectman Walter Snitko said he couldn’t approve the grant because voters turned down purchasing a speed sign at the 2015 Town Meeting, which is one of the items that would be purchased with the grant.
“I fear this could give the town the impression that we are trying to bypass the decision made at Town Meeting,” said Snitko on Monday. “I’m 90 percent sure there will be pushback about this.”
The grant will be used to purchase the speed detection sign, which includes a two-year software subscription, and a LIDAR speed gun, which stands for “light detection and ranging.”
The sign, according to Police Chief Steve Sullivan, allows the department to monitor speeds more effectively, as data can be stored and collected. The LIDAR gun is similar to a radar gun, but uses lasers to detect speed.
The speed sign will cost $4,820, with half of that covered by the grant. The other half will be purchased through the Burt Fund, a trust fund left to the police to purchase equipment. Sullivan said Monday he was told that $48,000 was left in the fund and that he has only used it once since he became the chief.
The lidar will cost $1,755, half of which will be funded through the grant and half of which will be covered by the department’s budget.
Sullivan said he was unaware that he had received the grant until recently, which was a shock to him as he sent in the application in April 2015.
In discussions with townspeople, Sullivan said that he felt the issues relating to the speed sign dealt more with the funding of the sign than the actual purchase of the sign.
The town currently has a speed sign, but it is seldom used, as the police do not have the capability to tow it with their vehicles. Sullivan said the sign the town currently has will be traded in as a part of the deal for the new sign.
The purchase of the speed sign was originally brought to Town Meeting in 2015, but voters turned it down.
The warrant article asked for voters to fund the entirety of the $4,820 purchase price.
Sturdy Thomas was elected to serve as the board chair for the second year in a row. Thomas motioned to have Snitko take over as board chair after Oct. 1, which was approved unanimously.
Nicholas Handy can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 235 or nhandy@ledgertranscript.com.