The Londonderry Town Council conducted a number of pieces of administrative business for the town, approving several resolutions during the April 22 Town Council meeting in order to accept sources of unanticipated revenue.
One of the grants accepted came from the 2023 Homeland Security Grant, which will provide for equipment for the SWAT/SOU Team. This grant came from the NH Department of Safety, with a total grant award of $40,637.86. Town Manager, Mike Malaguti, explained during the meeting that the grant would be for cold weather outdoor gear for the Southern New Hampshire Special Operation Unit members of the Londonderry Police Department.
Another grant accepted came from the 2022 Homeland Security Grant, for search and rescue equipment for the SWAT/SOU Team. This was also granted by the NH Department of Safety, and the total accepted grant award was for $89,777.00, Malaguti said that this funding would pay for infrared illuminators for the Southern NH Special Operation Unit.
During the meeting, the Council approved grant funding for the Londonderry Police Department to add a full time detective to address opioid and other substance abuse issues.
The grant will be coming from the NH Department of Justice, under the Comprehensive Opioid Stimulant and Substance Abuse Site-based Program.
The total allotment is $178,000 through fiscal year 2025, and would be $112,000 more than what they were originally awarded.
“This is $112,000 on top of that,” Malaguti told the Town Council.
Bernard explained that they have been working on the program for close to a year with a detective doing it part time to have better outreach in the community.
Ultimately, he said the idea of the program, which has been successful in other parts of the state, is to be able to reach out to people with substance abuse issues, or to connect with family or friends of people who are struggling in town, and be able to help connect them with different resources.
In 2022, he said NH had over 400 overdose deaths and said “We have our share here too, we are not immune from overdose or death.”
Residents, Richard Bielinski and Jonathan Esposito, spoke on the topic, noting that personnel brought on paid for by grant revenue often end up absorbed into the staff planning, and therefore the default budget. Both urged caution in how the town moves forward, with Esposito noting that if a new staff member leads to a tax increase in the future, that some residents in town may be priced out of living in Londonderry before they could ever benefit from the increased services provided.
Bernard noted that if the program wasn’t successful, he wouldn’t look for the funding for the position to continue, once the grant funding ends.
No decision was made about whether or not it would be expected for the position to be included in future proposed operating budgets.
The Londonderry Town Council also accepted a $1,000 donation in unanticipated revenue from Bode Equipment, which will be used at the Fire Chief’s discretion.
During the meeting, the Town Council waived a first reading for changes to the Fire Department’s rules and procedures. Malaguti explained that the Fire Department Command Staff would be at the next meeting to explain the changes, but said it would mostly add things about plans, permits, and other things of that nature that Division Chief of Fire Prevention, Brian Johnson, oversees.
“This builds that out,” Malaguti said, noting that it also updates fees and gives them more oversight.
In other news, the Town Council also accepted the resignations of two different board and commission members. One of the resignations came from Jim Leary, a member of the Conservation Commission. The other resignation came from Barbara Mee, a member of the Senior Resource Committee.