After making $101,000 in reductions to the proposed police department budget, the Board of Police Commissioners voted to send the budget on to the Board of Finance for the next phase of the budget process.
“I think we can work with this budget as it is,” Police Chief Michael Metzler said. He helped the board identify the areas where items could be shaved.
The budget comes in at $3.7 million, with reductions made in a number of areas, ranging from supplies to bullet proof vests. Some items were moved to other budgets such as capital improvements.
Some concern arose over being able to shave money off of areas such as utility costs and gasoline for the squad cars. Given the inability to control rates that wasn’t something Metzler could foresee as reasonably possible.
“How do you shave gas when you don’t know what the number will be?” he asked.
Police Commissioner Frank Conroy said the budget was fair. If it is deemed too high, the commission would work with the board of finance to trim it.
If the budget is rejected by the finance board, Metzler is prepared to begin the process of reviewing it line by line — though he isn’t immediately certain where more cuts can be made.
“You don’t want to put yourself in a hole,” he said.
The police budget will now be sent to the Board of Finance for review before inclusion into the town side of the final budget.
