Shall the Town of Hampton vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $148,960, including salary and benefits, for the purpose of employing two (2) additional Full-Time Patrolmen for the Hampton Police Department, over and above existing positions funded by the 2022 operating budget, starting on April 1, 2022, with the estimated full year cost in 2023 of these Full-Time positions being $198,614, including salary and benefits, and for all future costs to be included in the Hampton Police Department’s annual budget and the default budget going forward? (Majority vote required)
What it means: The Police Department is asking for 2 additional Full-Time Patrolmen to be added to the roster. The Article is asking for this to be ongoing, with future year salaries and benefits being included in the Operating Budget. This request is being put before the voters as a separate item, as opposed to including it in the Operating Budget.
Those in favor say: In the recent past, we relied heavily on Part-Time officers to help augment the Full-Time capacity. This is no longer feasible due to the lack of candidates willing to take on police work for Part-Time pay. In fact, the state of NH canceled the Part-Time Police Academy in the first quarter due to a lack of candidates. With the increase of year-round residents in Hampton and the surge of tourists on a seasonal basis, the need is there. With Part-Time options less available to us, we need to staff up our Full-Time force in order to have the manpower required to keep everyone safe.
Those against say: No one spoke against this Article at the Deliberative Session.
Fiscal impact: In this fiscal year, a property valued at $400,000 would see a tax increase of $15.60 if this Article passes. Using 2022 valuations for the tax base, there would be an increase of $20.80 in 2023, which would be the full year value. In subsequent years, the extra salaries and benefits would be included in the Operating Budget. To calculate the effect on your own property, use .039 times your valuation divided by 1,000 for 2022 and use .052 for 2023.