Rindge voters will decide the fate of a grant that would subsidize part of an eighth police officer’s salary, provided the town gets an extension for when the grant can be accepted.
While the Select Board unanimously approved to bring the grant’s acceptance to a Town Meeting vote on Wednesday, Police Chief Todd Muilenberg still needs to file an extension to allow the town to accept the grant beyond the current deadline, which is the end of the year.
The Select Board’s decision did not come without debate, as Selectwoman Roberta Oeser voiced displeasure in waiting for a Town Meeting vote with no guarantee of having the extension approved.
“I think this is a little disingenuous,” said Oeser. “We have wasted a month. I think this is a horrible procrastination.”
The Police Department was one of four New Hampshire agencies to be awarded a $125,000 U.S. Department of Justice COPS Hiring Program grant this year, which would require the town to hire an eighth full-time officer for at least four years.
While the grant subsidizes a portion of the officer’s salary in the first three years, the town is then required to pay salary and benefits for an additional year before deciding whether to keep the position.
Regardless of whether the grant is accepted, the board has already said funding for an eighth officer would be built into next year’s budget. The board approved to have Muilenberg begin to seek hiring a new officer at its Oct. 19 meeting.
The Select Board has been divided on the acceptance of the grant since a public hearing on Oct. 19, with Oeser wanting to accept the grant immediately and Selectmen Jim Qualey and Robert Hamilton wanting the town to do its due diligence.
“My view is that this should be put to the voters,” said Qualey, who also said he is in favor of the grant being approved, provided the voters approve it.
Should the town not receive an extension, the only other option to bring the decision to a town vote would be a special Town Meeting, a process that is very time-sensitive given the need to have the grant approved by the end of the year.
According to Oeser, a special Town Meeting is a six- week process, requiring an initial 14 days notice by the town, with 28 days between a deliberative session and Town Meeting.
Using that timeline, the Select Board would have to decide at this Wednesday’s meeting whether a special Town Meeting should be pursued to have it scheduled before the year’s end.
Resident Al Lefebvre voiced his frustration in the Select Board’s process, saying he as “very disappointed” in the board.
“Ninety nine-percent of people at that meeting said they were in favor of the grant,” said Lefebvre. “Now there is a chance the grant might not be approved.”
Nicholas Handy can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 235 or nhandy@ledgertranscript.com. He is also on Twitter @nhandyMLT.