2006 Town Warrant Article 15

Shall the Town vote to establish a Special Detail Revolving Fund (Police and Fire) pursuant to RSA 31:95-h (c) where only the fees collected to offset the direct labor costs associated with said detail is deposited into said fund?  These funds would be held by the Treasurer and may only be expended on order by the Selectmen for the direct labor costs of special details. (Recommended by Selectmen) (Recommended by Budget Committee) (No Tax Impact)

Voter's Guide Explanation

This article asks the Town to establish a special detail revolving fund in accordance with RSA 31:95-h (c) that will allow the Town to separate fees collected and expend direct labor costs associated for public safety details.  This includes municipal employees or volunteers outside of the ordinary detail of such persons, including but not limited to public safety services in connection with special events, highway construction, and other construction projects. 

Backup Data

This article will allow the Town to establish a revolving fund for the receipt of fees collected from private contractors when police officers work special details and allow payment to those police officers from this fund. It changes the administrative process on how the funds are allocated and expended while continuing to have no tax impact.

The Special detail account is a revenue bearing account with the excess fees going to the General fund to offset taxes.

Presently, when an officer is hired by a contractor for a private detail the contractor is charged a fee for that detail by the Town.

The fee charged by the Town is separated into three areas:

1. The hourly payment for the police officer working the detail.

2. The administrative fee; presently set by the Town at five dollars, is used to offset the administrative costs involved for the officer.

3. The vehicle usage fee; presently set by the Town at eight dollars per hour for the use of a police cruiser if required for the detail.

If the contractor requested a police officer and cruiser for a detail then the Town would receive thirteen dollars per hour for each hour worked by the officer.

These fees received would be applied to the General fund as revenue to offset taxes.

Each year a certain amount of money must be budgeted in the police budget for special details then appropriated by the Town at Town meeting.

The new revolving fund proposed would work the same way as it does now when paying the police officer or receiving fees. The monies received from the contractor would go into the new revolving fund and the direct cost for the officers pay would be removed and paid to the officer. The administrative fees or vehicle usage fees would go into the general fund as revenue to offset taxes as they do now.

The special detail revolving fund would continue from year to year reducing the need to request and appropriate $70,000 in specials detail monies in the police budget.