Overtime a concern for council

As the budgeting process for the coming fiscal year began last week, a question of overtime expenditure for the Moorcroft Police Department of approximately $35,000 arose for this year. While the cost is higher than anticipated, no one had more favorable options because the crew ran shorthanded many months during the early part of the year, as well as currently.

Schneider suggested the department’s budget may have enough money within certain lines to allow some recompense, but the entire amount will not be covered in this manner. Mayor Dick Claar reminded the council of the $168,000 the town will receive from the COVID-19 federal funds soon, from which he advised taking $35,000 to add to the salary budget for the department.

Councilman Ben Glenn asked his fellows how they wanted to handle the shortage, saying, “It’s scary to let it ride and scary to think we’re starting $35,000 underneath where we think we need to be. If we bump that up in 2021, but we don’t get COVID-19 money in 2022, we’ve relied on our Band-Aid® money to fix a problem that we’re going to have to chase in 2022.”

Schneider reminded the body that, if Bryant is able to fill the vacancy by July, the problem should be rectified with the one-time save from the grant.

Bryant’s department has a budget for overtime and on call, but the amount currently provided by the town is not adequate for the needs of the department under these circumstances. Glenn advised the group, “If this budget was set unrealistically for 2020, than we need to be a little more realistic for 2021.” This statement was unanimously approved by the body present.