NORWAY — The town’s drug enforcement officer will remain in place until June 2014, but the future of the position beyond that remains uncertain at this time, Town Manager David Holt said.
On Monday, June 17, annual town meeting voters rejected a recommendation by the Board of Selectmen and Budget Committee to decrease the amount of funding for the Police Department and instead bring it to the fiscal year 2013 budget level to ensure that the drug enforcement officer position would be funded through the next fiscal year. The fiscal year ends on June 30, 2014.
Without the funding the position would be eliminated on Dec. 31.
The move was part of voters’ addition of $207,764 to the selectmen’s $3.9 million municipal budget recommendations and $166,566 over the Budget Committee’s advice during two-and-one half hours of action on the 41-article warrant.
The Police Department is currently using a four-year U.S. Department of Justice COPS Hiring Program grant to pay for the position, but one year must be paid for by the town. The town had only budgeted for six months of the requirement prior to the town meeting.
With the restoration of the funds to pay the remainder of the six-month period in the fiscal year, officials are now waiting to hear if its application for a new round of funding will be successful to keep the position for another four years.
“We haven’t heard,” Holt said Friday of the application.
Although the police contract says the newest officer would be laid off if funds were not available, Federico had said that would entail putting the drug officer back on regular patrol to fill that vacancy.
Voters will return to a special town meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Town Office to restore other monies, including funds to keep the Town Office open during it current hours.
Unless state revenue that is slated to be cut under Gov. Paul LePage’s proposed budget is restored, Holt estimated that taxpayers will pay an additional $50 per 10,000 valuation on their properties because of the town meeting votes.
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