By Kevin Shalvey
Staff Writer

During the 2007 fiscal year, changes to both the fire and police departments will occur, pending approval of the town’s proposed budget.

Town Manager Keith Hickey budgeted the staff increases for both departments as recommended in a study by Municipal Resources, Inc., an independent consultant hired to critique the departments.

“These studies,” Hickey said in the proposal, “recommended an increase in staffing for both departments amounting to 25 new positions (12 fire and 13 police) over the next four years.”

With the aid of a federal Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant, the fire department will add three staff members in 2007, Chief Scott Wiggin said.

“The grant process is very, very competitive because it’s a national grant,” Wiggin said. “We applied for three (firefighters) this year. Last year, we applied for six and were denied.”

The grant would reimburse the town $310,500 during the four years. The cost to the town for the 2007 budget would be about $44,000, Wiggin said.

For the three new firefighters, the grant would pay 90 percent of salary and benefits during the first three years. Then, for the fourth year, it would pay 30 percent. The new firefighters must work through the fifth year, which the town would be responsible for, Wiggin said.

The grant is through the National Homeland Security Office.

“One of the issues (MRI) identified -- I’m going to say the biggest issue -- was staffing,” Wiggin said.

Currently, there are five full-time firefighters on each of the four daily shifts. Two other firefighters float, taking turns with shifts, covering sick days and vacations.

“With these additional three,” Wiggin said, “it will give us six men on each shift, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And, we would have one floater.”

Town councilors on Wednesday, Sept. 27, approved a motion to accept the SAFER Grant, pending budget approval in March 2007.

The addition of four police department positions account for a 1.8 percent rise, or 5 cents per $1,000 property valuation, in the proposed budget. A third lieutenant, a dispatcher, a patrol officer and a school resource officer were recommended.

Of the 69 recommendations MRI made for the police department, Chief David Bailey disagrees with two.

The first was a switch to a “platoon” system that would have each officer assigned to a specific lieutenant. This, Bailey said, is unfavorable compared to the current setup.

“The first reason I disagreed with that is that it’s a contractual agreement,” Bailey said.

Under the current contract in effect until 2008, officers are rotated between lieutenants. Also, Bailey said, rotating leadership is better for the officers.

The second recommendation is the creation of a third police cruiser sector, which would reconfigure the way police patrol. This, he said, is unnecessary because patrols are already efficient.

“Our response time is more than adequate,” Bailey said. “Our response time, I would say, is pretty close to excellent.”

The other 67 recommendations, Bailey said, are mostly repetitions of current standard procedures.

Wiggin agreed, and said “There are quite a few of them that have already been met,” Wiggin said, adding that more will be met by early next year.

Also, a study next year might find that the Safety Complex should be renovated.

“I have included in my 2007 budget, $25,000 to have an engineer or architect take a look at the facility, as well as what potential future improvements could be made in that building to best utilize the existing space and the small area of space that currently has not been developed,” Hickey said.

Also, the windows and heating and air-conditioning ventilation system may need maintenance. Hickey included another $41,500 in his budget for property repairs and maintenance.

Another big change the fire department is currently looking into, Wiggin said, is a possible expansion to another station.

“We’re eventually looking toward a substation in the South River Road area,” Wiggin said.

This plan, though, is only in the early stages and hasn’t been proposed. The South River Road area would benefit most by the substation, Wiggin said, because it has much of the town’s commercial growth and apartments, and is one of the biggest commercial tax bases.