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Commission approves advertising for full‑time Canton police officer after staffing debate
Summary
The Canton commission voted 3–1 to advertise for a full‑time police officer to replace a resigned officer after a discussion about swing‑shift coverage, the role of the school resource officer and budget pressures.
The Canton commission voted to authorize advertising for a full‑time police officer to fill a vacancy, approving the motion on a 3–1 roll‑call vote after commissioners heard staff explain the need for a seventh position to provide weekend and leave coverage.
Corbin, the police department representative named during discussion, told the commission the seventh officer fills swing shifts on Friday and Saturday nights to ensure two officers are on duty on the busiest nights and to cover extended leave. "So the seventh position fills in that that nights and weekends," Corbin said, adding the slot also helps cover absences and preserves officer safety.
A commissioner asked for a detailed, line‑by‑line review of department budgets at a future meeting, noting rising costs across municipal departments. The transcript records department budget figures cited in the meeting: $841,000 for the 2024 police budget, $858,000 for 2025, and a line in the record saying "the insurer jumped to 922,000," a 6.9% increase as read during discussion. Corbin said he had no issue reviewing the budget in detail.
The meeting included public comments pressing for the school resource officer (SRO) to remain at the local school. One resident urged the commission to keep the SRO in place and noted a contract requiring the SRO during school hours: "We want the SRO at the school," the resident said. During the discussion, a commissioner said they had been misquoted in local coverage as advocating defunding the police or pulling the SRO; the commissioner said, "I never said I wanted to pull the school resource officer." Corbin responded that he was not the source of the media coverage and apologized for any misquote.
On a roll call held before the motion's passage, the meeting record shows multiple "Aye" votes and a single "No"; the presiding officer declared the motion passed. The commission did not adopt further staffing changes during the meeting but approved advertising for the vacancy so the department can recruit a replacement officer.
The commission also asked for additional budget detail from supervisors at a later meeting to address concerns about rising departmental costs.
The commission proceeded to closing items, including an announced executive session for union negotiations later in the agenda.
