By TOPHER PENDELTON
(Montague, MA) — The Montague Police Department will have to run on the same money next year as it did this year.
Montague Annual Town Meeting voters Saturday narrowly approved an amendment which lowered the police department’s budget from its requested amount of $1,698.119 to $1,652,537, which was the amount appropriated for department operations in fiscal 2020.
The amendment was offered by Precinct 5 Town Meeting member Natan Cohen, who said it was a largely symbolic gesture in acknowledgment of the recent demonstrations and community upheaval related to the death of Minneapolis resident George Floyd at the hands of police officers. It passed by a margin of 38 to 35.
Town meeting members approved all other items, including $53,000 for a new police cruiser, money which Police Chief Chris Williams said will be reimbursed by grants which the town has secured, and will be awarded later in the fiscal year, which begins July 1.
As for the level-funding of his budget, Williams did not indicate how he planned to adjust for it, but did tell town meeting members that this requested increase for fiscal 2021 was mostly needed to satisfy negotiated contract increases.