Monmouth to ask voters in June to empower select board to pursue police consolidation with Winthrop

Monmouth officials told residents at a public forum that they will ask voters in June whether to empower the select board to negotiate an interlocal agreement to consolidate Monmouth and Winthrop police services, a measure they said is intended to improve coverage, training and officer safety.

The plan, introduced by an agency official, traces to discussions that began “about 18 months ago” and centers on creating a limited police commission that would, among other responsibilities, take part in hiring a chief during vacancies and recommend a consolidated budget and a funding formula for both towns to approve. “We started this about 18 months ago,” the presenter said, explaining the effort aims to give officers more time off, better training and a larger pool of supervisors for overnight shifts.

Officials and officers described several operational drivers behind the proposal. Monmouth currently has about “four and a half” officers and Winthrop about “nine and a half,” officials said; combining the staffs, they argued, would allow a lieutenant to oversee night shifts instead of having both lieutenants on day schedules, and would let detectives from a Criminal Investigations Division assist long or complex cases across municipal boundaries.

“I don’t have a supervisor working nights,” Officer Olivia Moore told the forum. “Instead of me waking up my lieutenant at 2 a.m., he’s already available,” she said, describing how consolidated supervisory coverage could reduce the need to repeatedly call a supervisor in the middle of the night.

Town Manager Justin Ber (as he identified himself at the meeting) described how the proposed police commission would craft a consolidated budget and a cost‑sharing formula to present to each governing body; Monmouth’s residents would vote on a warrant article in a town meeting to empower the select board to negotiate the interlocal agreement, while Winthrop’s council would take the parallel action on its own calendar. Officials said the goal is to avoid abrupt tax shocks and that pay parity would be phased in over multiple years to limit immediate cost impacts.

Despite officials’ assurances, residents raised repeated concerns about local service retention and tax impacts. “I don’t want to lose the police department,” a resident said, recounting positive local interactions with officers and asking how the town would ensure day‑to‑day services remained intact. Officials responded that the interlocal agreement would include an exit/notice provision (described during the meeting as a 90‑day termination clause) and that stationing decisions would be determined later by the commission and managers.

Committee members and supporters at the forum said the effort is intended to build resiliency as smaller departments face staffing shortfalls. Aaron White, who identified himself as a counselor over in Winthrop, said he was “fully supportive of this effort” and encouraged transparent, early public communication about costs and plans. Officials said they hope to roll out a consolidated agency by July 1, 2027, if the warrant question and subsequent negotiations proceed on schedule.

Multiple speakers emphasized that the consolidation is not primarily framed as a cost‑saving measure. “The primary goal was not to save money,” an official said; the stated priorities were improving coverage, officer safety and investigative capacity. Several residents urged more public outreach, a written strategic plan and clear budget projections before a June vote so voters can make an informed decision.

Next steps: officials said the select board will draft a warrant article to empower negotiation of the interlocal agreement, reconvene the consolidation committee (with union representation at the table), hold public commission meetings as the cost‑sharing formula is developed, and publish updates in the Monmouth Messenger and other channels in the weeks ahead.