Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Police Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council restores $40,000 for police after chief warns cuts would harm staffing and subsidize private events
Summary
After extended debate and a written plea from Police Chief Ruby, South Berwick councilors restored a $40,000 reduction to the police budget by a 4–1 vote, following concerns about staffing, training costs, and the town subsidizing police coverage for some private events.
The South Berwick Town Council voted to restore $40,000 to the town’s FY27 police budget after a plea from Police Chief Ruby and an extended discussion among councilors about staffing levels, overtime and how the town pays for police details at privately organized events.
Chief Ruby told the council the department is "experiencing coverage challenges" and that recent staffing additions require equipment and training expenses that make first‑year hires costlier than salary alone. In written remarks, the chief said the department currently subsidizes some privately organized events and that requiring all such events to pay for police details would "immediately relieve some of the pressure" on the police budget. He warned that continued cuts would shift policing from proactive to reactive work.
Several councilors recounted the budget workshop where a consensus led to a $40,000 reduction based on historical part‑time usage; supporters said the figure reconciled part‑time wage forecasts with recent hiring and that the town must contain tax increases. Opponents said the cut sends the wrong message to police and could harm services such as the school resource officer. After discussion, Councilor Paul moved to put the $40,000 back and a second carried the motion 4–1, with one councilor voting no because of procedural unfamiliarity with the renewal ordinance.
As amended, the police and animal control wages total $1,863,290 with a revised grand total for police services of $2,166,669 in Article 5 of the FY27 warrant. The council also asked the town manager to return with a policy proposal on charging private events for police details so the town can align fees and reduce taxpayer subsidy of certain events.
Why it matters: Police staffing levels affect public safety, response capacity and school coverage. The discussion highlighted tradeoffs between short‑term tax restraint and long‑term service capacity, and the council asked staff to propose a policy to standardize how private events pay for police services.
Chief Ruby: "We cannot continue to reduce police staffing with a proposed budget cut while simultaneously subsidizing private events for free."
