Brentwood swears in two officers; chief proposes pay scale to aid recruitment and retention

The Brentwood Select Board held a swearing-in ceremony for two new officers and heard a presentation from the police chief on recruitment, retention and proposed pay changes.

The board swore in Officer Henry Resnick and Officer Connor O'Neil as certified police officers. Both officers were introduced by the chief and took the oath during the meeting.

After the ceremony the chief briefed the board on budgetary matters for the police department. The chief said some officer detail pay has been charged to the department’s salary line instead of the detail account; he and town staff are working to reconcile those amounts and do not expect an immediate solution. The chief also said some promotions and other line items that had been budgeted by his predecessor were not included in this year’s budget, and he is evaluating fair approaches to cover those costs.

On recruitment and retention the chief presented a proposed pay scale intended to create grades and steps so new hires can see anticipated progression. He described a structure with civilian and patrol grades, a grade for senior patrol/specialty roles, and higher grades for sergeants and lieutenants. The chief said he did not include a separate chief’s grade, noting he expects to justify any change in his own compensation directly to the board. The chief described the scale as merit-based, with step increases tied to evaluations and experience; he said he planned to include the proposal in the coming budget cycle and offered to circulate the detailed scale to board members by email.

Board members asked procedural questions about how steps would be awarded (the chief said merit and evaluations would apply) and whether the scale was final; the chief said it was “pretty much the finished product” but agreed to provide copies for review. The board did not take any formal action to adopt the pay scale at this meeting.

The chief also reported that a new fire tanker is expected within a week, and thanked the board for enabling the department to hire two officers.