NORWAY – A nearly $5-an-hour raise for the town’s Police Department detective raised red flags with some members of the Budget Committee on Tuesday night, but police Chief Rob Frederico defended the salary, saying it is in line with other towns.

“Someone has to explain to me a 30 percent raise. It seems unbelievable,” said Budget Committee member Bruce Cook of the detective’s proposed new salary.

Federico said the proposed increase from $15.28 an hour to $20.09 an hour for Police Detective Gary Hill is in line with the average hourly rate from a 2006 Maine Municipal Association salary survey, which showed an average $20.09 hourly rate for a police detective. Federico said he also looked at other towns who had made settlement offers with their police detectives.

Under the proposal, Hill’s annual salary would increase from $31,782 to $41,787.

The detective’s salary and that of three sergeants and the chief, whose own annual salary is proposed to increase from $43,492 to $48,380, are not under union contract.

Because police officers are currently in salary negotiations with members of the Board of Selectmen, the exact salary number is still not known. Their contract expires on June 30, however, residents may be voting on a soft number if the contract is not settled before then.

Federico appeared before the Budget Committee and selectmen to review the proposed fiscal 2007-2008 budget of $406,890, of which $275,000 will go toward salaries. The proposed salary line item shows a $26,281 increase in salaries from last year’s salary line item.

“My biggest expense is in the salaries,” said Federico. “Everything else is down to the bare bones.”

The budget, which is based on Federico’s initial proposal and fine-tuned by Town Manager David Holt for submission to the Budget Committee and selectmen, will be voted on at the annual town meeting in June.