Replacing Milford Police Cars, Future Of Headquarters Discussed

MILFORD, CT — The Board of Aldermen is in the final stages of approving next year's budget request and at a recent online meeting the Police Department's budget request was discussed at length.

Here is a review of that discussion via meeting minutes that were recently filed by the city of Milford:

Keith Mello, Chief of Police, stated he is responsible for preparing and maintaining a responsible
budget to run the department. He stated the budget is less than last year and that all departments
were asked to review their budget and give back where possible.

Mello stated he had identified $300,000, but the Board of Finance cut the budget by $337,000. He discussed how the cuts will impact the department and that the additional $37,000 was from wages where there are vacancies.

Mello discussed how the surplus in wages is used for overtime when necessary to hire back.
He stated that are a number of things that the department will not be able to purchase. Ald. Gaynor
asked how SRO's are being repurposed since schools are closed. Mello stated one SRO is
posted at Parsons screening visitors that all permitted entering by appointment. He stated the
remainder are being used in the Patrol Division.

Ald. Giannattasio note that many line items were at 0. He stated his biggest concern was with police cars. Ald. Giannattasio stated that not investing in the fleet puts the department at a disadvantage.

Chief Mello stated new cars cost approximately $40,000 plus another $20,00 for equipment. He reviewed the car program and how it has changed over the years due to rising costs. Ald. Giannattasio stated he is not comfortable not investing in police cars, even in a smaller quantity.

He asked if the Board of Finance provided any justification for their reductions. Chief Mello stated it was not discussed. Ald. Giannattasio asked if the most vulnerable accounts are overtime and cars. Chief Mello explained how surplus in wages goes to overtime and how it will be impacted. He stated due to the pandemic not a lot of overtime is being used but a surplus is needed or when the account is spent down will have to go outside the budget and request funds. Chief Mello stated cars are most vulnerable and he hopes this is not a starting point for next year. He further stated that when an account is not funded at some point it needs to be made up.

Ald. Giannattasio stated he would be more comfortable purchasing a few cars this year. Ald. W. Smith asked Chief Mello to review the amount he cut from the department's budget and the
amount cut by the BOA.

Chief Mello reviewed the amounts cut and provide a brief summary of past budgets. Ald. Smith asked from the items cut from the budget, what line items will require the department asking for more next year.

Chief Mello stated the car budget has been pushed to the limit. Ald. Smith asked if there have been discussion and a timeline concerning a new police station.

Chief Mello stated he has not had further discussions concerning a new police station, but has
discussed with the building committee what improvements should be made to the current station.

Ald. Harla asked how durable are new police cars. Chief Mello stated durability seems to have
improved. He further stated that public works is responsible for maintenance of the vehicles. Ald.
Harla he understands the importance of keeping up a fleet. Ald. Gaynor asked if training funds are
sufficient as they appear to be lower than other municipalities. Chief Mello stated training is crucial foundation and our officers are well-trained. He stated he is comfortable with the budgeted amount for training.

Ald. Parente asked if there was a rationale for the cuts made by the Board of Finance. Mayor Ben Blake stated all department had been asked to look for ways to reduce their budgets as a
significant increase on the expenditure sides was expected.

Mayor Blake stated police cars were discussed with Chief Mello and presented to the Board of Finance. Ald. Parente asked why the crossing guard account was reduced. Chief Mello stated it was based on prior year expenditures.

Ald. Giannattasio asked for an explanation of reserve accounts and how they are funded. Chief Mello stated the federal seized property account can only be used to purchase certain items. He also discussed the private duty account where vendors pay an administration fee that the department retains and uses to purchase equipment.