Council Cuts Funding Requests by City, Groton Long Point

The Town Council on Tuesday denied a request by the city to include money to pave roads in its operating budget. The .

Councilors instead approved $400,000 for city paving as a capital project, which means it must go to Representative Town Meeting for approval. Councilors on Monday approved $500,000 for town roads, also to be submitted as a capital project.

“It’s not business as usual, to say it bluntly here,” Councilor Mick O’Beirne said Tuesday.

The council also approved less than the city requested for police.

Police services

Police services have been ; one in the town, one in the city and one in Groton Long Point.

The three have agreed to a study to assess police services town wide, but it has not yet been completed. A request for proposals was sent out and responses are due back April 17.

Town Mayor Heather Bond Somers said that based on looking at police budgets and the number of residents served, the city department is more expensive.

“I think we really need to do this police study because things have got to change in this town,” she said.

In the past, the city has said figures on police service in the city and town are not comparable.

City Mayor Marian Galbraith said Tuesday the city has discussed the issue and will continue to.

“We’re not opposed to efficiencies,” she said.

Road Paving

On the public works side, the city had asked for $757,000 to repave the roads in Groton Estates, a project Galbraith said has been delayed for years.

She said she could spread out the cost, but couldn’t make it less.

“It is what it is,” she said. “It’s a large number of streets and it’s streets that (are) down in some places, to dirt. The edges are crumbling.”

The council denied the funding, but included the $400,000 capital request.

City Requests

The council approved these amounts for city police and roads:

• $2,253,752 for police. The city had asked for about $100,000 more, including money for two vehicles. The approved total represents level funding plus money for one vehicle.

• $2,254,608 for public works. The city had asked for $757,000 more to pave Groton Estates.

• $400,000 for road paving, to be voted on as a capital project. The city would repave Bridge Street and Spicer Avenue with the money, then add Church Street if possible.

Groton Long Point Requests

The council approved these amounts for Groton Long Point police and roads:

• $220,000 for police, the same as the subdivision’s request.

• $131,230 for highway maintenance, for Ridge Road paving and barriers. The subdivision had sought $513,500 for highway maintenance, including money to cover cleanup from Tropical Storm Irene. Councilors said they want more information about the cleanup and what the Federal Emergency Management Agency would cover.