The Marion Finance Committee’s February 9 public meeting saw Police Chief Richard Nighelli and Fire Chief Brian Jackvony present respective FY23 department budgets.

In explaining his proposed budget increase for FY23, Nighelli pointed to 129 pages of legislation on police reform including 23 action items with delivery dates and policy changes, training requirements, and increase in required public records, and the introduction of a board that certifies and decertifies police officers.

“One of the biggest changes for us is we’ve operated over the years with special police officers, and our special police officers have all been (compensated on a) per-diem (basis),” said Nighelli, noting that the special officers account for four to five shifts per week. “What’s happening with police reform is now they’re bringing everyone up to the same (training) standard. Because of that, our farm team, as we say here, effectively has really been eliminated.”

With all officers on even keel, Marion is being leveraged into either absorbing them as full-time staff or is bound to lose them to another town. To account for the loss of special-officer shifts, the department proposes adding an additional full-time officer to the staff. Nighelli said doing so will help control overtime costs which, heretofore, have risen with every absence and vacation due to the department’s minimal staffing.

The training cost is $4,000 per officer. Six special officers work for Marion with four that Nighelli is training.

Nighelli spoke of how five years ago the Police Department started migrating from analog toward a digital communications system. He said FCC-level changes have compromised communications, making reception vulnerable to atmospheric changes.

“Years ago, the FCC made the department go from broadband to narrow band so five years ago we started to have radios go to digital, which will make communications more seamless,” explained Nighelli. “There were dead spots in town. The sound quality had atmospheric issues on the frequency when others were talking. … And so going to digital takes it to the finish line, which started five years ago. It will be better communications. We’re excited about it.”

The microwave repeater site gives dispatchers the priority in communications so they can transmit any important messages they need to convey.

The next topic turned to a new police cruiser. Nighelli informed the Finance Committee that one cruiser with capital occurs every third year.

“It’s the same maintenance as a typical vehicle. However, the 120,000 miles is our typical threshold because of idling and other driving demands the cruisers are put through, it’s not the same as your ordinary vehicle,” he said.

A question for the chief concerned staffing. He replied, “We have 14 full-time officers and six specials. We have the specials as a budget saver. Now we’re not going to be able to utilize them.

“In Massachusetts, police reform has really become a big thing. The George Floyd event is what’s driving it. And now people are realizing the financial impact of all that these reforms entail. With police reform, there are a lot of unknowns. What we do know is that we’re going to lose our ‘farm team’ within three years, that is, our specials. We lost two last year.”

Next, the increase of public-records requests was addressed.

Nighelli informed, “It’s necessary now for us to maintain a D.A. portal when officers need to testify. We never had to inform them in the past. And secondly, mandatory body cams are coming, which will increase public-record requests. A committee of 25 is going to be reviewing this.”

When asked if there were any retirements on the horizon this year, he replied one, then informed that he has lots of young officers.

            On the topic of officer retention in general, he replied how across the country in law enforcement these issues of new candidates are a point of concern.

“With the emergence of many departments offering signing bonuses these days, particularly with contributions for health insurance, the new generation is wary of working for a department that doesn’t offer them. And also it’s challenging in that they tend to be looking for more time off and preferring not to work nights or overnights. It’s different these days (from) when I came up. I would work overnights and overtime. … So, with regard to that change of outlook on young officer’s careers now, I’m not so sure it’s a good thing.”

The chief’s time was punctuated to a rousing round of thankfulness for his department’s job.

“I appreciate that. We are proud to have professionalism, integrity, and empathy,” he said.

Next up was Fire Chief Brian Jackvony.

After welcoming the chief, Town Administrator Jay McGrail stated how only a part-time administrative assistant position which had increased the budget by 2.92 percent would actually be funded by the Fire Department’s budget.

Jackvony said that Emily Fillman’s 20 hours per week would as confidential administrative assistant enable people who enter the fire station to be greeted by her. He then accounted for a not-filled slot of a Safety Department Office had resulted in a $2,000 reduction, and how also expenses were cut through employing the new voice service.

He stated aside from himself there are two other full-time employees, while assuring they always strive to have ALS staffed being available 24 hours a day.

Highly lauded for his staffing efforts in not only making sure trucks were staffed but other miscellaneous duties performed in exemplary fashion was Lyle McKay, paramedic and EMS coordinator who was hired shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. “He’s a godsend, a huge asset to the team,” said Jackvony.

Another appreciated welcome to the department had come in the form of a 2018 grant from FEMA to utilize for recruitment of unpaid firefighters.

“So far we’ve recruited 13, but most don’t live in Marion,” said Jackvony, who then shared about the department’s recruiting. “We put out promotional videos every spring, which will begin in April. So with that we hope to move from 13 to 20.”

The topic then turned toward a trend that could potentially impact staffing negatively. Jackvony informed, “Nationwide there’s a crisis amongst the graduation rate of EMT’s and paramedics. Both are down by about 30 percent. … Due to our part-time paramedics often being called into their other jobs, this hurts us more and more.”

This information prompted Select Board member John Waterman to say, “We need to look at the potential of hiring more full-time since (the dropoff) is an issue.” Board members concurred.

Alternate FinCom member Ann Iannuzzi mentioned a possible solution how in Brewster there’s a program through their health care systems which uses an at-home program geared toward keeping people out of returning to the emergency room due to the pressure that comes with that action. The program uses paramedics to take calls who can then bill for services. “That could be a revenue stream,” Iannuzzi suggested.

In Massachusetts, there is the Mobile Integrated program where a person who is discharged from the hospital and the next step is for the paramedic the very next day to assist him or her so they don’t have to return to the ER.

“We sent a Community EMS program to the Board of Health, and they embraced it,” said Jackvony. The chief also shared when he was in the Fire Academy there was a four-year program called Community Risk Reduction that he’d been skeptical of but after attending came to love it. “These are baby steps. I can’t wait to keep advancing such programs in our community because it’s a perfect fit for the community — our elderly like to stay at home.”

After the committee thanked the chief for his professionalism and that of his staff, he became a bit emotional and shared a same-day story of how there’d been a violent car crash.

“It was incredible what I witnessed of this paramedic who’d been in a highly challenging situation, two peopled involved in the crash, one fatality. But to the survivor the kind of compassion and empathy he offered was amazing,” said Jackvony.

The February 9 meeting opened with McGrail’s overview of the town’s proposed free cash allocations for FY23 that include: $931,007 for capital projects as ranked by the Capital Improvements Planning Committee (CIPC); $221,000 for the Sewer Enterprise Subsidy; $300,000 for budget support; $1,500,000 towards the Department of Public Works construction project; $300,000 for tax relief; and $130,000 to be allocated OPEB funding and/or snow-and-ice removal.

“Right now, we’re not deficit-spending yet so that’s a good sign,” said McGrail, who noted that the announced proposals maximize the town’s ability to spend free cash for FY23.

After the Police and Fire department budgets were discussed, Mooney shared two charts pertaining to ARPA funding and the CARES Act.

Firstly, ARPA (American Rescue Plan), a federal program of $2,050,000,000: McGrail commented how it has a broader reach (funds to be spent over five years) compared to the CARES program that allowed the board to spend $950,000 (in two years), which through Mooney pursuing all submissions, did accomplish it effectively. “Probably the first use of ARPA funds will be to fund the design of force main,” McGrail said.

Turning to the education portion of the CARES graph where $225,000 per student had been surpassed to $272,000, mention was then made of the tent outdoors which enabled classes to occur during Covid.

Waterman brought up another issue to do with the education component. “It’ll be interesting to know how many ‘school choice’ students are requiring special education help, as it costs families of non-special-needs students $5,000.” Mooney answered that 123 was the number.

Chair Shay Assad interjected, “ORR Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Howie Barber told a board member about bus costs where consolidation of bus routes can be analogous to the special-(education) budgetary, consolidation challenge.”

The meeting adjourned with tentative scheduling of the ORR School District contract, which is up for negotiation. Sippican Elementary School was scheduled to present on Wednesday, and DPW is scheduled for Wednesday, March 9, at 7:00 pm.

Marion Finance Committee

By Rob Grant