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Brentwood reads FY2026 budget ordinance; officials say police force cannot provide 24/7 coverage
Summary
Town staff read Ordinance No. 2025-09 proposing fiscal year 2026 tax rates and a $3.44 million budget; officials said the town lacks enough officers for round-the-clock policing and that the treasurer position will be full-time with benefits.
At a public hearing on April 1, 2025, town staff read Ordinance No. 2025-09, which would set the Town of Brentwoodtax rates and adopt the fiscal year 2026 budget, and answered resident questions about police staffing and a new treasurer position.
A resident asked whether the new police captain position would be full-time and whether the stated salaries for the chief ($104,500) and captain ($83,600) mean the town will have 24/7 police coverage. "Does this mean that we will have 24/7 police presence?" the resident asked.
"Our department's not big enough to provide 24/7 coverage," said the staff member who read the ordinance. The speaker said the department currently has four positions, including the chief, and that the county provides coverage during gaps; the town also maintains memoranda of understanding with neighboring municipalities to supply backup officers.
The same staff member said the treasurer position will be a full-time role with benefits. The official also described recent pay adjustments as a combination of a cost-of-living adjustment and anniversary-based merit increases.
During the ordinance reading, the official said the proposed tax rate for fiscal year 2026 will exceed the state's constant-yield rate (0.3484 per $100 of assessed value) and recited line items for the general fund. The reading listed revenues totaling $3,438,392.02 and proposed expenditures totaling $3,448,392; the ordinance text as read included detailed line items for property taxes, other taxes, licenses and permits, intergovernmental receipts, and departmental budgets such as police ($764,945) and public works ($410,242).
The official said inflation and increased contract costs have made a modest tax increase necessary to maintain basic services. The ordinance text also includes separability and conflict clauses and states the measure would take effect 30 days after adoption or on July 1, 2025, whichever is later. The reading of Ordinance No. 2025-09 was completed at the hearing; no formal vote to adopt the ordinance was recorded in the transcript.
Chair remarks closed the public comment period and invited residents to submit additional comments. Council leadership announced a special mayor-and-council meeting at 7 p.m. to take up project approval.
The ordinance reading and related budget figures will return for further action at a subsequent meeting; members of the public may submit comments before that action.
