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Senate Committee Hears Support and Caution on S.255 Windham County Policing Pilot
Summary
Witnesses told the Senate Committee S.255 would create a five-year Windham County pilot to let a council set and collect special assessments to fund regional sheriff-provided policing; testimony highlighted potential response-time benefits, modest per-household tax impacts, governance and oversight concerns, and the need to clarify town approval and exit mechanics.
The Senate Committee on Government Operations heard extensive testimony Feb. 3 on S.255, a bill to authorize a five-year pilot in Windham County for a regional policing governance and funding model administered through a county-level council and funded by assessments on participating municipalities.
Katie Johnson Applin, a selectboard member from Newfane, told the committee Newfane currently pays about $25,000 a year for sheriff-contracted coverage that yields roughly "7 and a half hours of patrolling per week" and animal-control services. "Presence alone is really important," she said, arguing that increased local patrol hours improve response times and residents' sense of security.
Assistant Judge Chuck Barnett and Sheriff Mark Anderson described the pilot as principally…
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