Voters at the Rindge deliberative session on Saturday agreed to increase the proposed budget by $140,000 to further support the ambulance and police departments.
The proposed budget this year started at $5.67 million. The default, should the budget fail, is set at $5.65 million.
Selectman Larry Cleveland spoke to the budget, calling the margins “razor thin.”
“I’m ashamed to admit it, but I was one of the residents who voted for the default budget for several years,” Cleveland said. He said it was not until he became involved in the budget process that he realized how that impacted the town.
Cleveland said the town is facing multiple increases beyond its control, including $50,000 for mutual aid dispatch, $34,000 for solid waste removal, $10,000 for liability insurance, $7,000 for workers’ compensation and $8,000 for the Health Reimbursement Account.
Following an explanation of the budget, Cleveland offered a $40,000 amendment to the budget to accommodate the requested funding for the Jaffrey-Rindge Memorial Ambulance. The town had previously budgeted $85,000 for ambulance services, where JRMA has requested $125,000. Previously, the town had been in dispute with JRMA, but last week, announced that it had come to a resolution and was prepared to move forward with JRMA for the coming year.
The crowd unanimously agreed to increase the proposed budget to $5.71 million.
Following that amendment, resident Karl Pruter also suggested a $100,000 increase to the police department staffing line. He said the town was struggling to retain officers.
“They’re full time, they’re in town, they’re first on the scene,” Pruter said.
Cleveland said that part of the original proposed department budget included $7,100 in raises per full-time officer, which represented between 8% and 10% raises, and said that compared to 2.5-3% raises for other departments.
“We kept this budget low because of assessments. There are a lot of people hurting in this town because of assessments,” Cleveland said. He said that a $100,000 increase would increase the possibility of the budget failing.
Resident Bill Thomas, who seconded Pruter’s motion, said the current situation at the police department was “untenable,” calling it the “most essential” service in town.
“I just can’t believe that this is such an article of dissension, that people don’t realize how essential this department is to this town,” Thomas said. “I know you’re saying we’re risking defeating the whole budget by supporting this article, but it’s critical.”
Police Chief Rachel Malynowski said the town lost two officers to other towns in the past year and been unable to fill positions, and has two more officers leaving by April.
“We are currently advertising at the lowest rate of any town on PoliceApp,” said Malynowski, referencing the top hiring application for police departments in the state. She said the reason her initial ask for raises was that it would bring the town up to the average starting rate of other towns. “We’re looking at trying to hold off on not being able to provide 24-7 coverage to the town, which, unfortunately, in the coming months, we may not be able to do,” Malynowski said.
The amendment was voted on by secret ballot at the request of at least five registered voters, and passed with 85 yes and 50 no votes, leaving the final approved budget at $5.81 million.
An article submitted by petition also dealt with the police department budget, by requesting the elimination of the ninth full-time police officer position, which was approved by a town vote in 2021. The article states that the authority to determine the number of full-time police officers needed is held by the Select Board.
Resident Bill Thomas suggested an amendment to change the wording to “retain” the ninth police officer, but Moderator Kirk Stenersen said that wording would change the subject of the article and was not allowed by state law.
Resident Mike Golibersuch suggested an amendment to eliminate the wording at the end of the article “returning the authority to determine the number of full-time police officers needed to the Board of Selectmen.”
Cleveland pointed out that the sentence gave the board the authority to decide how many officers the town needed, including the possibility of needing a ninth officer.
Residents went back and forth on the proposed amendment, questioning whether the Select Board’s hiring authority was ever suspended, whether eliminating the wording was necessary, without clear resolution on some of their questions.
After lengthy discussion, the amendment failed in a 38-31 hand vote.
Resident Max Geesey said that eliminating the ninth officer, which is currently unfilled, and using those funds to provide raises for the other officers could be a solution.
“Less officers, but keep them better equipped and better trained,” Geesey said.
Malynowski said that since the article in 2021, the department has been fully staffed during two periods, but said during those periods, police were able to be much more present in town.
“I think that reducing to eight would be a detriment to the community,” Malynowski said.
The article was ultimately forwarded to the warrant unchanged.
Other warrant articles
Cleveland moved to amend an article to put $40,000 to add to the Ambulance Service Expendable Trust Fund. The amendment proposed was not to change the amount but to clarify that the article would apply only if the proposed budget failed. If the budget failed, and the expendable trust article was approved, the appropriations will be included in the following year’s operating budget and default budget.
Selectman Tom Coneys suggested adding language to the amendment to specify that the funds be used solely for JRMA. Cleveland said he was unwilling to change his proposed amendment, stating that if circumstances led to JRMA no longer functioning, or if the town wanted to pursue other options, the town’s hands would be tied.
The amendment, as originally proposed, passed in a voice vote. Coneys did not offer to further amend the article after the first amendment was approved.
Capital reserve accounts
Voters agreed to move warrant articles to add funds to capital reserves for highway equipment for $185,000 and fire equipment for $125,000 with little comment. The fire equipment funds are specifically for replacing the town’s 25-year-old brush truck.
Also moved to the warrant without any change were a $35,000 addition to the building maintenance capital reserve, $25,000 for the recreation facilities capital reserve, including plans to repave the tennis court, $25,000 for the Meetinghouse maintenance expendable trust, and $20,000 for the Ingalls Memorial Library expendable trust fund. Also moved unchanged to the warrant was $5,000 for the United States 250th Anniversary celebrations.
Tax credits
A proposed change in the town’s Land Use Change Tax would reduce the revenue from the tax levied when a piece of property is removed from current use and deposited into the Conservation Fund. Currently, the total amount of the tax is deposited into the fund and can be used to purchase conservation properties. The warrant would reduce that amount to 20%.
Conservation Commission Chair David Drouin spoke to the article, saying, “I’m not in favor of this warrant article. I don’t believe it’s in the best interest of Rindge.”
Drouin said he saw the article as “short-sighted” and that it doesn’t help protect Rindge’s rural character.
Golibersuch proposed an amendment to clarify the wording to reduce it to 20% from 100%.
Resident Richard Feldman suggested that the amount be changed from the proposed 20% to 99%. Golibersuch said he was amenable to that, as was his second.
Cleveland then also suggested changing the amount from 99% to 50%, but Golibersuch said he did not accept that change to his amendment.
The body then voted on the proposed amendment, changing the amount from 20% to 99%, and passed by voice vote, with a handful of no votes.
The town is suggesting several articles regarding tax credits and exemptions.
The first is a Veterans Disability Tax Credit, which would increase the tax credit for service-connected permanent and total disability to $4,500. Cleveland stated that this is in response to a law change that eliminates the ability to combine the permanent and total disability credit of $4,000 with the optional veteran’s credit of $500. Cleveland said increasing the disability credit from $4,000 to $4,500 would allow those veterans to continue receiving the same level of tax credit.
Another proposed exemption is to reduce the assessment of land under farm structures. The intent of the exemption is to encourage the use of farm land and farms.
Voting on all issues on the warrant will be held on March 10 between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., at the Rindge Memorial School.