A $17,543,413 appropriation for Public Safety was approved under Article 8, following sobering testimony from the town’s fire and police chiefs regarding staffing shortages and shifting emergency trends. Fire Chief Chris Madden informed the meeting that while the department is busier than ever, staffing has remained level for 20 years. The NFPA standard is four firefighters per apparatus. Most of the time, we run with three on engines and only one on the ladder truck, Madden said, adding that the department would need 24 more firefighters to meet national standards.

Police Chief John King reported that his department is also managing vacancies while facing a massive escalation in mental health crisis calls and cybercrime. The approved budget includes funding for a new IT position, which King described as long overdue to manage the department’s increasing reliance on software and communications infrastructure. This position is considered a vital prerequisite for the town's planned implementation of police body cameras, which requires dedicated technical staff for data management.

When asked by Member Maggie Oldfield if developers could be charged impact fees to support these services, Town Administrator Nick Milano noted that such fees are legally difficult to apply to operations. Milano emphasized that the town prefers to rely on recurring property taxes. Despite the concerns over long-term staffing needs, the department budgets passed with near-unanimous support.

Motion: To appropriate $17,543,413 for Public Safety, with $5,000 from dog license fees, $50,000 from free cash, and $17,488,413 from the tax levy.

Vote: Passed 211-0-1