Police, Highway And Solid Waste Departments Present Budgets

Fuel costs are rising and residents are not the only ones worried about paying more at the pump. At Monday’s Board of Finance meeting, the police, highway and solid waste departments presented their proposed budgets for the 2011-2012 fiscal year.  Fuel prices were on everyone’s minds.

Chief J. Darren Stewart presented the department’s proposed $4,587,893 budget to the board. The proposed budget represents a $235,196 increase from the 2010-2011 fiscal year. Stewart said the budget increase doesn’t represent anything “wild and crazy.” 

The increases are the result of salary increases. In the 2010-2011 fiscal year, the police department took a pay freeze.  Other increases include money for staffing special events and an increase in the fees associated with officer training.

The price of fuel is expected to cost the department $14,000 more in the 2011-2012 fiscal year than in the 2010-2011 fiscal year.

Highway Department

Director Joe Bragaw spoke about the highway department’s proposed $2,153,757 budget, a $59,787 increase from the 2010-2011 fiscal year.

The budget represents a 15 percent increase in the cost of diesel. In 2010-2011, the department received 33,000 gallons of fuel for $2.37 per gallon. In the 2011-2012 fiscal year, the price is expected to be $2.78 per gallon.

Other increases include repair and maintenance fees. According to Bragaw, the department hasn’t replaced any of the department’s bigger trucks in four years.  The department also requested $10,000 for the leaf collection program. 

“Leaf collection is a challenge for us,” Bragaw said. 

This year the department collected 170 truck loads of leaves and Bragaw said the department couldn’t keep up with the requests for leaf collection.

Solid Waste Department

The proposed budget represents at $26,435 savings. The adopted budget in the 2010-2011 year was $2,719,921 and the 2011-2012 proposed budget is $2,693,486.

Solid Waste Manager John Phetteplace spoke about the department’s proposed budget and again the cost of fuel was a concern.  “Fuel prices are going up,” Phetteplace said.

Aging equipment means the costs of parts and labor are also up in the proposed budget.

Budget Schedule

Feb. 9: Water Pollution Control Authority and Human Services, including outside agencies

Feb. 16: General Government and Capital Improvement Projects

March 9: Board of Education

March 16: Budget Deliberations

March 23 Budget Deliberations

April 13: Public Hearing

With the exception of the public hearing all meetings will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Stonington Police Department meeting room.