WILTON — After a long discussion and two secret ballot votes, voters approved the proposed $404,750 for the Police Department during Monday night’s annual town meeting.
More than 100 residents asked questions about the department’s needs after one resident moved to approved the same amount as this year, $371,785.
With no grants available to fund any positions in the six-man department of four officers, one chief and one sergeant, people voiced concerns over the need to cut back.
“We could get along but not function at a degree of adequacy,” police Chief Page Reynolds said. “If you cut off my arm … I’ll function but not at 100 percent.”
Selectman Tom Saviello suggested that a committee needs to look at what the town wants for police protection but that it couldn’t be settled during this town meeting.
Following a number of questions, voters also approved an article for a capital project for the first phase of upgrading the sewer treatment plant and authorized town officials to accept a grant/loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development.
Voters approved spending $4.6 million on this first phase although payment is expected from users of the system and not from the town tax base.
An amount of $97,615 was approved for the Fire Department with no discussion. This amount is down from last year’s $102,245.
By 9 p.m., two and a half hours from the start of the meeting, voters had only worked their way through less than half of the 52 articles on the town warrant.
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