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Council includes 0.2 police-officer line in budget advertisement amid recruitment debate
Summary
Councilors debated whether to add a fifth officer (0.2 FTE) or favor recruiting already-trained officers; staff said the combined cost (salary and training) was about $91,000. Council agreed to include the 0.2 line in the published budget so residents could comment at the hearing.
The council spent extended time on police staffing, with Matt explaining that the personnel package proposed for next year included "0.2 police officer plus the training" and that "the combination of the 2 is the 91,000." That figure framed the debate over whether to fund a new hire or change recruitment strategy.
Some council members argued the town should recruit an already-certified officer or use signing bonuses to retain recruits rather than repeatedly hiring trainees who require lengthy onboarding; others said an additional officer improves patrol presence and response coverage. While members expressed uncertainty about recruitment prospects, they agreed to include the 0.2-officer line in the advertised budget so the public hearing could inform the final decision.
