Foster residents and council press on police staffing as town advances design-to-build plan

A public commenter opened the meeting urging the town to address chronic police turnover and staffing shortfalls, saying the town repeatedly requests nine to 10 officers and ‘‘You have got to add a hundred thousand dollars back into payroll.’’ The comment framed staffing as a financial and public-safety concern that the council needs to fix.

Council later added a discussion-only item on a design-to-build contract for a new police station. Officials said the town drew on a $3 million bond and other funds to assemble a roughly $5 million design budget and retained New England Construction for design work. The council reported a design fee of about $65,850 and said the design is being prepared so the station can be built now and expanded later if grant funding becomes available.

Council members debated features that could raise costs — including whether to include a basement and a sally port — and said some decisions will depend on grant awards expected in January. One councilor said that if grants arrive the town can consider adding features such as a basement; others said contractors would not charge extra to revisit design details if the town secured additional funds.

The council also discussed long-term staffing costs tied to any new facility. In public comment a resident linked high turnover and repeated overtime to wasted payroll dollars and urged the council to consider those ongoing costs alongside capital spending.

For the moment, the council approved adding the design-to-build discussion to the agenda and moving forward with design work, while leaving final construction contracting for a later vote pending funding and any grant outcomes.