The proposed 2017 police budget is projected to increase over its current operating expenses and will likely continue to climb after another revision is completed, according to the police chief.
Chief Brian Giammarino presented the budget, which proposes an increase of $6,500, to select board members Tuesday.
Giammarino said the largest increase is a result of the part-time wage line item that is set to increase $5,000. About $4,000 of the line-item increase would go toward increasing part-time wages from $15 per hour to $20 per hour, while about $1,000 would go toward compensating part-time help when salaried officers are on vacation.
Select Board member Robert Marshall said the proposed $5,000 increase likely won’t be enough. The town needs to cover 13 weeks of paid vacation time for its three full-time officers.
“If it’s not enough we are not being honest with the taxpayer in communicating with them what their public service costs are and their public safety costs are,” Marshall said. “If we need to be budgeting more we need to be up front and show them what our PD costs are.”
“I think we need more money in that line to begin to address this discrepancy here,” Marshall said.
“And the public needs to know that this is what it costs them. I think we have outstanding personnel here, but the public needs to know what that cost is.”
Select Board members asked Giammarino to retool the line item. He said he would amend the line item and come back to the board in two weeks.
He said the department is hoping to purchase a new SUV, which would cost about $40,000 fully equipped.
Giammarino said, if others are willing, he would like to keep the Ford Crown Victoria the department is using instead of selling it.
He said an additional vehicle could be used to assign each officer their own cruiser. It could also be used as backup when mechanical repairs need to be made and could increase the longevity of the newer vehicle.
The proposed 2017 fire department budget is projected at about $129,000, a 2.1 percent increase.
Chief David Hall said many of the department’s line items have been rearranged, a process that he has been working on since he became chief two years ago.
“Gradually, we’re sorting things out and putting the values where I think they belong. So in effect there is a very minimal increase,” Hall said.
The single biggest increase is on a reimbursement or stipend fund for volunteer firefighters. The figure has been increased in recent years, although Hall said it’s still nowhere near what it needs to be.
“These people are doing an enormous amount of work because of how busy we are,” Hall said. “I think they need to be compensated a little bit better.”
Right now, volunteer firefighters receive $8 a call, regardless if the incident lasts one hour or eight. Hall proposed increasing the stipend to $10 per call in an attempt to raise the bar a little bit.
“I’d like to see that number continue to creep upwards so that maybe at the end of the year they can get a stipend check that can make an impression on their loved ones,” Hall said.
“I’m trying to not stir the budget too hard. I was asked directly last year not to do that,” Hall said. “And I’m back and I will continue to push for this because I think those people are woefully, woefully underpaid for what they do.”
The department is looking to add CodeRED, a community emergency notification system, to next year’s budget. It would also like to buy a heavy duty washing machine to remove carcinogens from clothing after a fire call. A dryer will likely be proposed in the 2018 budget.
Several line items have been scaled back, including repairs and maintenance, trained services and uniform allowance, measures that have helped offset the proposed increases in other areas.
The department’s Jaws of Life need to be replaced, a piece of equipment that is estimated to cost about $33,000. It’s a one-time purchase that will likely be presented as a warrant article at Town Meeting.
Hall said the department is working to minimize costs. This year, the department was able to acquire a $32,000 state-of-the-art Automated External Defibrillator at no cost to the town.
Abby Kessler can be reached at 924-7172, ext. 234 or akessler@ledgertranscript.com.