The Town Council has been holding hearings on the proposed budget in preparation for the final budget vote at the Financial Town Meeting in May. One department’s budget created more discussion than any other in the meetings on March 28 and 30.
The police department saw an increase in its recommended budget of $160,317 over the last fiscalyear, bringing the total amount to $1,312,720. Council Member Keith Stover reminded the rest of the council that “this is exactly what we asked the chief to do: tell us what we need as a town.”The largest single item increase was in wages, which jumped $230,000. Chief Matthew Moynihan joined the March 28 meeting and explained that the department is shifting to a slightly different employment model, using more year-round reserve officers and fewer seasonal officers. The goal is to have two officers on duty at all times throughout the year, and three officers on duty at all times through the summer months.The budget memo submitted by Town Manager Maryanne Crawford further elaborated that there would be four reserve officers hired year-round, with one seasonal officer hired for the summer. In addition to the seasonal officer, the Community Service Officer program
