Politics & Government
Wrentham Police, Fire Departments Pleased With Additional Town Meeting Allocation
Departments among those that received additional funding at town meeting.
The Wrentham police and fire chiefs both expressed gratitude to the town for the additional funds voted to their departments at Monday night's town meeting.
Voters at the meeting decided to take $278,000 from the Wrentham Stabilization fund, distributing it the to local elementary schools, public safety departments and public health nurses.
The police and fire departments received $60,000 each.
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Wrentham Fire Chief Jay McMorrow said the additional funds will allow the department to retain its current staff.
"If we didn't receive this, we would have had to lay off two people, probably in November," he said. "We would have had to use overtime on 40 percent of our shifts — now, it's 15 percent."
Find out what's happening in Wrenthamwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
He said he was happy the town voted for the fund transfer.
"I appreciate the support the town has shown for its public safety departments, schools and nurses," he said. "It hasn't been secular to one department or another, it's been geared toward improving the whole town."
Police Chief James Anderson said the vote was encouraging.
"I'm grateful to the people in the community voted to support public safety," he said. "We lost $75,000 [in the proposed budget], but this restored $60,000."
According to Anderson, this will enable the department to retain the two hires it made as the result of the November Town Meeting.
"One graduated in May, and the second will graduate next month, in July," he said.
Anderson said the retention of personnel will help its overtime situation, but that his department is still understaffed. At Monday's meeting, he said a town Wrentham's size should have 26 police officers. Currently, the town has 18 officers.
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