05/08/2007
Cutting cop job 'right thing'
By:Kory Loucks , Journal Inquirer
EAST WINDSOR - Finance Board members Monday reaffirmed their decision to cut funding for one police officer, despite hearing support for keeping the position at a public hearing.
Only one board member, Dale Nelson, said she changed her mind after hearing the comments at last week's hearing and speaking to residents.
"I felt that cutting an officer is the wrong thing to do," she said.
Board member Marie DeSousa said: "I stand by the budget."
DeSousa observed that most of those who spoke against cutting a police officer from the budget were connected to the Police Department.
"In order to bring the budget in line, I think we totally made some daring decisions and put ourselves in the hot seat," DeSousa said.
Board of Finance member alternate John Mannette, who used to serve on the Police Commission, said he stood by the budget as well.
"It was a challenge for everybody, including the Police Department," Mannette said.
He said reducing the number of sworn officers from 25 to 24 "is the right thing to do at this time."
Board member William G. Dove said that there is a misperception that the officer at Mill Pond Village is being eliminated because of the Finance Board's decision.
"The officer at Mill Pond is coming back into the normal rotation. The officer has not been cut," Dove said.
That officer's salary had been paid by the apartment complex's owners for the past three years; however, they have decided not to renew their contract with the Police Department, and will be hiring private duty security.
Finance Board Secretary Noreen Farmer, who led Monday's meeting in the absence of Chairman Paul E. Catino, said that she is not changing her mind on the $30.72 million 2007-08 budget presented to the town.
In reference to the reduction in police officers, Farmer said: "We did not do this in any manner that can be considered arbitrary."
Farmer added that the Finance Board had spent many hours researching the Police Department records to get a better understanding of how the department functions.
Monday's meeting was convened to correct a technicality, Farmer said, because she had inadvertently left out the word "workshop" from the public hearing's agenda. Therefore discussion by the Finance Board after the meeting was non-binding.
Farmer said that Catino could not attend Monday's meeting because the Bridgeport budget was being discussed last night. Catino works for the city of Bridgeport.
In addition to discussion of the officer, Nelson said that the $30,000 the Board of Finance put into its budget for contract negotiations should have been put into the Board of Selectmen's budget, since that board signs off on all contracts.
Farmer said that the Finance Board had requested budget estimates for contract negotiations from the Police Commission and the Board of Selectmen, but neither had complied. Therefore, Farmer said, "we took it upon ourselves" to come up with a figure.
"Obviously the money is for legal fees," Farmer said. "Where it is sitting I don't think it really makes a difference."
Other members spoke in favor of the budget as presented to the town.
"The budget is going to go as is," Farmer said.
The board scheduled a town meeting vote on the budget for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 15, at the highs chool auditorium. But board members acknowledged that the budget likely would go to referendum.
If the budget gets voted down, another public hearing will be held, Farmer said.
Mannette said that if the budget does get voted down, Catino has made it clear that further cuts to the budget would be made.
| 
