Lanesborough Gauging Interest In Shared Police Services
 The Police Advisory Commission met on Monday to finalize the advertisement and salary range. |
Police Chief Mark Bashara and K9 Officer James Rathbun are both retiring next year and the town sees an opportunity for cost savings.
While a group is still working to interview and hire a new chief, the Finance Committee and the Selectmen are considering other ways to organize the department.
Finance Committee member Al Terranova asked the Police Advisory Commission, which is searching for Bashara's replacement, to consider other ways to save money in the department.
That could include replacing the two retiring officers with part-timers, to reduce benefits, contracting with other departments for patrol — such as the state police or Pittsfield — or even sharing a chief as the Selectmen previously suggested.
"The Finance Committee is looking at the budget and we have some great opportunities here," Terranova said. "What the Finance Committee is trying to do is to look at ways to save money."
Town Administrator Paul Sieloff said he will be sending a letter to Williamstown, Dalton, Cheshire and Pittsfield to see if they would be interested in working toward a co-operative agreement.
"I think there are other towns that for cost-saving measures would be willing to discuss it," said Commissioner Marvin Michalak.
But Sieloff isn't certain an agreement will be made before a new chief is hired. Sharing a chief may be too drastic of change at once, he said.
"Right now this is all talk," Sieloff said "Odds are we will just be going through a typical process. But you never know what might happen."
That process of hiring a new chief really begins in January when the advertisement will go out. At the end of the month, the Police Commission will be tasked with arranging interviews to come up with a few recommendations for the Board of Selectmen.
So far, the Selectmen have said they are willing to pay a salary between $65,000 and $80,000. The Selectmen lowered the salary from Sieloff's initial request. Sieloff said the current chief makes "about $80,000" and the highest paid officer is making about $65,000.
Sieloff wanted to advertise the next chief's starting pay at $65,000 to give a "gap" between the highest paid officer and the chief. And he wanted to say up to $85,000 so the town has the ability to hire a "superstar" candidate.
"I just feel like it isn't even appropriate to advertise the same salary as your highest paid person," Sieloff told the Selectmen last week.
Selectman Henry "Hank" Sayers advocated for a lower starting point because the town can go up with the salary during negotiations but can't go below the advertised low number.
The town will be collecting applications — via email — throughout the month of January. The job posting is also being emailed to every department in the county and asking each to share it with their officers.
"We're requiring them to be emailed. People have to be computer savvy enough to send an email along with their application," Sieloff said.
The advertisement is focused on all of Western Massachusetts. The group has already said in-house candidates will be given a little extra weight in the evaluation process and are asking the successful candidate to move to Berkshire County within six months to a year.
On Monday, Investigator Timothy Sorrell said he is going to apply again — he was a finalist in the last chief search. And the Police Commission said Sgt. Gary Kirby is interested in applying.
Tags: police chief, search committee,
