The Londonderry Town Council has authorized Police Chief Bill Hart to accept a COPS (Community Oriented Policing) grant in the amount of $250,000, which will at least temporarily put two more officers on the street.
The Council voted unanimously to approve the grant in its Dec. 5 meeting.
Hart said he applied for the grant in the spring and that it comes with two conditions: first, that one of the officers hired be a veteran; and second, that the “hiring authority” must keep the officers for at least 12 months beyond the grant period. The grant is for three years, so that would make the total commitment 48 months.
The grant was awarded in mid-September, so the town is “on a clock” to get started, Hart told the Council.
He told the Council the grant could be distributed in a number of ways. “We could front-load it this year and have no tax impact,” he said. The town could also expend a third of it for each year of the grant.
While it will take several months to get someone in place, Hart said, he has a list of people interested in working in Londonderry.
“If we hire before June 30, 2017, we can use our surplus,” he said, noting that the town’s cost of the new officers has not been budgeted for.
There were no speakers in a public hearing.
After the Council voted to accept the grant, members discussed the mechanics. ‘The amount is the same no matter how you do it,” Town Manager Kevin Smith said.
Finance Director Doug Smith reminded the Council that the grant is on a reimbursement basis. “We will be reimbursed on incurred costs,” he said.
Councilor Tom Dolan suggested “front-loading” the whole amount toward the new hires, with an eye toward anticipated new revenue in fiscal years 2019 and 2020. “That will minimize the tax impact, and we can rely on revenues for the other years,” he said.
The Council agreed by consensus to use the grant for the first full year of the hires.
The FY 2018 budget requests also include $198,500, salary and benefits, for two additional patrol officers. It will be presented in a warrant article.