Lincoln Selectmen close warrant, review pilot police program budget

LINCOLN — January 23, 2012 — Lincoln police bring first pilot program budget, request $1.4 million for FY13. Chief Kevin Mooney and Lt. Kevin Kennedy walked the Board of Selectmen through a Finance Committee–requested program budget — descriptive and benchmarked against Weston, Wayland and Sudbury — covering 13 sworn officers and a two-officers-per-shift minimum that Town Administrator Tim Higgins called the budget's central policy driver. The 3 percent increase funds a 2 percent COLA, holds expenses flat, and adds $30,000 to the educational incentive line to honor the town's 50/50 commitment on the state-underfunded Quinn bill. Kennedy said reassigning the traffic officer and detective to cover open shifts prevented roughly $210,000 in overtime growth between FY09 and FY12. Selectman Noah Eckhouse, factoring in Hanscom population and capital costs, estimated Lincoln's adjusted per-capita police spending at about $168 — second-lowest of the four towns. The board also voted to close the town meeting warrant, approved the 55.5-cent IRS mileage rate, and appointed Patricia McGean to the Council on Aging.