The Damariscotta police department not only survived a selectman’s attempt to cut one officer from the force, it received an unexpected pat on the back when the budget committee voted to recommend a three percent raise.
The clash came during a joint selectman/budget committee meeting Wednesday as both bodies reviewed the department’s proposed 2011 budget.
It began when Selectman Vicki Pinkham suggested the police department no longer operate 24 hours a day. Instead, she suggested the town fund 20 hours per day coverage.
To accomplish this, she suggested the police department stagger their hours or combine with Lincoln County’s three other municipal police departments and the sheriff’s office to form a sort of larger force.
“Last year, when you (Police Chief Steve Drake) asked us to hire another police officer, you said it would cut overtime costs,” she said.
Greg Zinser, the town manager, answered her. “If overtime costs went up, sorry. We were wrong,” he said.
Zinser said Pinkham’s move meant the police department would have to fire an officer. The department has a chief, a sergeant, three full time patrol officers and another fulltime officer in training at the Maine Law Enforcement Academy. Reserve officers augment the full time police officers as needed.
Drake also objected to Pinkham’s suggested budget cuts. He was joined by Lincoln County Sheriff, Todd Brackett.
“There are a lot of bad guys out there and if they know we are only providing 20 hours a day coverage, they will time their activities when we are not there,” said Drake.
Brackett said his deputies would help, but it might take a while to answer a call for assistance.
“We will do the best we can to provide coverage,” said Brackett, but we have to cover 450 square miles. If we receive a call from Damariscotta, the deputy might be in Pemaquid, or Boothbay, or Somerville,” Brackett said.
“We will respond, but you will see some difference in service,” he said.
Drake said Damariscotta police respond to most calls for service in four or five minutes.
Vicki Pinkham’s motion to cut the police budget was seconded by Josh Pinkham, but he noted the second was just for discussion purposes.
When the selectmen voted, Josh Pinkham joined three other selectmen in voting 4 to 1 to reject the cut.
Selectmen then voted 4 to 1 to fund the police department at $336,740, a number that would provide 24 hour coverage for the town, but not raise the officer’s pay. The amount was just $540 over this year’s budget.
After the Selectmen acted, the budget committee took up the police budget, and member Bob Nee gave them a strong endorsement.
“I think the police officers are underpaid,” he said. “They do a primo job,” he said, suggesting a three percent pay raise for the five officers. The chief and police secretary would be excluded from the raise.
That would raise the total amount of the budget by $5500, Zinser said. Drake said he would give up his 2011 contract raise to fund a possible raise for the five other police officers. No action was taken on his offer.
The budget committee then voted to recommend increasing the police budget to $392,712. It passed 5 to 2.
The final police budget will be presented to the voters at the June 9 town meeting.
Drake welcomed the support from the budget committee.
“It was a pleasant surprise,” he said. “Even if the police raise does not pass (at the town meeting), the budget committee’s vote will help (police) morale,” he said.
In other action, both committees approved the proposed budget for the volunteer fire department at $74,500, which includes an hourly on duty rate for the volunteers at $9 per hour and $800 to fund an annual dinner.
Selectman Josh Pinkham, a volunteer firefighter, abstained from the voting on the fire department budget.
