Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Rockport Select Board keeps additional patrol position after staffing shortfall, citing overtime costs
Summary
After a resignation and a sergeant's extended injury left Rockport temporarily down to four officers, the Select Board voted 4-0 to retain an additional patrol position, concluding hiring the position could reduce overtime costs and burnout.
The Rockport Select Board voted unanimously to retain an additional patrol position in the police department after new staffing information showed the department's coverage and overtime costs would worsen if the position were removed.
Town staff presented recalculated budget scenarios showing the cost if the department were down one officer for a sustained period. Megan (staff) told the board the most recent estimate showed the town's budget would total about $133,000 without the patrol position versus $119,000 with it'a roughly $14,000 difference. "The spreadsheet shows the budget would be $133,000 without this patrol position and $119,000 with the patrol position. So, we would save $14,000 by approving the patrol position," Megan said.
Chief Young told the board the department had seen persistent turnover and that recent events left the department with four officers available to staff a seven-day operation. "We're down to four officers now," he said, describing a recent 12-week injury to Sergeant Gley and the resignation of another officer that combined to create the shortfall. The chief and board members said high turnover and the difficulty of recruiting in the current market had driven overtime and signing-bonus spending in prior months.
Board members weighed mutual-aid options and county support. The county sheriff indicated limited capacity under the current county budget. Rockland's chief told the meeting he could provide a dedicated officer at a detail rate of $105 per hour but noted that a memorandum of understanding and union approval might be required to reduce that rate. Board members pointed out that outside coverage could be more costly than hiring locally.
After discussion, Select Board member Kim moved (seconded) to retain the additional patrol position, adding language that the board acknowledged the net cost to taxpayers would be higher if the position were not authorized. The motion passed 4-0. The board also declined a separate Budget Committee recommendation to add extra overtime funding, saying that retaining the position made that additional overtime allocation unnecessary.
The board instructed staff to proceed with the budget as amended and to present the updated figures to the budget committee at its upcoming meeting.
Next steps: the Budget Committee will review the Select Board's amendments at its scheduled meeting; the town will continue to monitor staffing and mutual-aid options as the summer approaches.
