DERBY — Mayor Rich Dziekan’s proposed budget fully funds the Derby Police Department’s request, according to dollar amounts reviewed at a meeting of the tax board on Tuesday.
The police department is asking for a 2.4 percent funding increase from the tax board (formerly called the Derby Board of Apportionment and Taxation). That’s a $101,191 increase from the roughly $4 million police budget currently in place.
If approved as requested, the Derby police department would be $4,169,134 for the fiscal year starting July 1. That dollar amount is also the amount Mayor Dziekan suggests in his budget.
Ultimately the police department’s bottom line is up to the members of the tax board, who reviewed the budget with Chief Gerald Narowski and Deputy Chief Scott Todd during an online meeting Tuesday.
The police department’s budget includes 2.25 percent wage increases for Derby police officers. Those wage increases are from a union contract approved by the Derby Board of Aldermen/Alderwomen back in 2019. Click here for a previous story.
Narowski said there are some potential landmines in his budget. He noted that police officers are leaving departments around the country, and the same thing is happening in Derby. Narowski said six to eight Derby police officers could leave the department within the next three to five months. He warned an officer exodus could impact overtime.
“These are uncharted waters,” Narowski said.
The state’s police accountability law is also causing police spending to increase, the chief said. He pointed to drug testing in particular. The state now requires testing for steroids, which Narowski said can cost five times as much as other drug testing.
Narowski said new state standards require police departments to go for accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. It’s considered the gold standard set of policies and procedures for police departments.
Narowski’s budget includes about $30,000 to pay for an accreditation manager to shepherd the process. The budget also asks for $7,541 in software connected to the accreditation process.
The tax board’s review of departmental budget requests will continue next Tuesday. A budget for the next fiscal year is due at the end of April.
