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Committee questions large police IT and radio requests; manager proposes phasing
Summary
Police and fire chiefs presented capital requests including a large IT infrastructure addition and a radios purchase; the town manager proposed reduced or phased funding levels and committee discussion left final capital approvals unresolved in the transcript.
A series of public‑safety capital requests drew detailed scrutiny at the Budget Review Committee meeting on Feb. 18, with department chiefs and the town manager offering competing dollar figures and the committee recording revised requests rather than final approvals.
Police Chief Jo‑Ann Putnam initially asked to add $585,000 to a Police IT Infrastructure fund and to spend $381,750 from that fund. Town Manager Mike Pardue proposed reducing the amount to be added to $485,000. The transcript records the initial request and the manager’s recommendation; it does not record a committee vote to adopt either figure.
On the Public Safety Facility CIP, Chief Putnam requested adding $100,000 to support building signage and spending $100,000; the town manager proposed adding $50,000 and spending none, a change recorded in the discussion. The committee did not record a final vote on that adjustment in the minutes provided.
Fire Chief Mark Dupuis outlined several capital items: $70,969 for extrication tools and $35,000 for gutters on the back of the fire station. He initially requested $354,000 to add to a radios fund and spending $316,060 to acquire 18 portable radios, five mobile radios and one repeater to improve interagency communications. Manager Pardue proposed phasing that radios request to adding $177,000 and spending $160,000; Chief Dupuis later amended his request to add and spend $261,483. The minutes show the request and amendment but do not record a committee approval or final tally for the radios purchase.
Committee members asked for additional information about funding timing and phasing; several of the large capital requests were revised in the meeting record rather than approved outright. Where the transcript records final votes (for example, several operating budgets), the committee voted unanimously; where CIP numbers were discussed and altered, the meeting record stops short of documenting committee adoption of a single CIP funding plan.
Next steps recorded in the minutes include follow‑up materials and additional review at subsequent budget meetings; the committee asked department heads and the finance director to provide more detail so members can evaluate tradeoffs and phasing options for the capital items.
