In his first budget session with the town, new Police Chief Tim Suokko is working to keep his budget as flat as possible.
Suokko met with the Select Board on Tuesday afternoon for a preliminary discussion about his department’s 2017 budget.
In the items discussed Tuesday – which excluded the department’s salaries and associated costs – Suokko’s requested budget was up $5,387, but much of the increase was due to the department receiving some grants next year, which will be offset in the revenue side of the budget.
“We have two different grants for 2017 that will help to supplement patrol hours,” said Suokko.
The two grants, totaling $9,344, are a distracted driving grant and a sustained traffic enforcement program grant.
The only other area of increase in Suokko’s budget was to special detail, a line item that Suokko said was hard to judge, because it all depends on how many special details the town does in a year.
While he recommended a $2,000 increase in that particular line item, it was admitted that all costs associated with police details would be reimbursed by the company seeking the detail.
Suokko asked if a revolving account could be made in the future to make budget planning a little easier, but it was said that a warrant article would be needed to create such an account.
Of the other 16 line items discussed, Suokko dropped his budget by over $4,000. Line items cut included education and training, gasoline, radio/radar repair, and computer.
Miller said the salary portions of the budget have yet to be filled in as those line items are not filled in until later on in the budget process.
Regarding capital planning, Suokko said he could stretch both of the town’s police cruisers past the projected 2017 timeline.
Town Administrator Sherry Miller said she was told that cruisers were on a three year replacement schedule, but Suokko believes he believes the patrol vehicle can last five years, with the chief’s cruiser lasting closer to seven.
Both cruisers were purchased in 2014. Suokko said he did not anticipate having any warrant articles this year for larger expenditures
Nicholas Handy can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 235 or nhandy@ledgertranscript.com. He can also be found on Twitter @nhandyMLT.