Rangeley calls April 8 special town meeting to address projected $95,000 police overdraft

The Rangeley Select Board has called a special town meeting on April 8 to ask voters to authorize covering a projected Police Department overdraft of about $95,000 from the town’s unassigned fund balance.

Town official Joe told residents at a public hearing March 17 that the town last fall hired a full-time police chief and three officers and moved toward a 24-hour schedule, changes he said have increased overtime and pushed the department toward the projected $95,000 shortfall. "We have all three of them on board…long story short, that will end up in a almost $95,000 overdraft at the end of the year," Joe said.

The board plans to present the question directly to voters at the April 8 special town meeting, with polls open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the town office; absentee ballots are available now and must be returned before April 8. Joe said the town’s unassigned fund balance at the time the question was prepared was estimated at about $6,000,000 and that CPA guidance places the current estimate between $5.3 million and $5.5 million. He added the CPA "built into that amount" the $95,000 projection. Joe also said that if the article passes it would not increase taxes for the current year because the funds are already in the unassigned fund balance.

Residents at the hearing pressed town officials on management and process questions. Chris Farmer of High Street asked why the town could not reduce other budget lines or trim overtime rather than draw from reserves. "I'm struggling a little bit from the business side…I'd like to understand a little bit more how we got into this kind of…management side of how this was handled," Farmer said. Other speakers expressed frustration they were not consulted before the town moved to round‑the‑clock coverage and asked whether the town had pursued grant funding before hiring.

Joe told the meeting the town had pursued a grant but did not know at the time of hiring whether the grant award would be successful and that timing prevented using grant funds for initial hires. He said the decision to hire was taken to ensure the town had a fully staffed, 24/7 police department and that the board wanted to provide that coverage even though it created the present budget pressure.

Joe described the consequences if voters decline the warrant article: "If this does fail, Chief and I will have to talk about the provisions in the collective bargaining agreement and what the layoff procedure is," he said, and he added the town is self‑insured for unemployment so any unemployment costs would be borne by the town.

Speakers also asked about operational details: how the 24‑hour coverage schedule works, on‑call periods and town vehicles, and whether county sheriff coverage remains unchanged. Joe said the officers have a schedule with an 18‑hour on duty period and a six‑hour rest/on‑call period and that officers assigned town vehicles must remain in town during on‑call periods. He said he did not want to speak for "Sheriff Nichols" on the county coverage model.

Why it matters: the April 8 vote would allow the town to close any Police Department overdraft from the unassigned fund balance; if voters reject the article the town may have to implement layoffs or other actions tied to the collective bargaining agreement. Officials emphasized that the overdraft is a current‑year projection and that next year’s budget will reflect the new staffing and schedule.

Next steps and public information: the special town meeting is set for April 8, polls 8 a.m.–8 p.m. at the town office. Absentee ballots are available at the town office. Officials said they have disclosed the overdraft projection multiple times and will present the warrant wording for the April 8 meeting. No formal vote on the overdraft occurred at the March 17 hearing; the Select Board called the special town meeting to let voters decide.

Votes at a glance: the Select Board has called a special town meeting for April 8 to consider an article authorizing closure of Police Department overdrafts from the unassigned fund balance. No vote was taken at the March 17 hearing.