Selectmen decline suggestion to fund a trooper for EastConn

Despite being advised by an educational service agency to do so, selectmen say they are still not interested in helping to fund a second state trooper in town to serve as a resource officer for an EastConn school.

According to selectmen, the town doesn’t have the $10,000 needed for its share of a state trooper to be located at EastConn’s ERA Eastern Regional Academy facility in town.

ERA is an alternative education program for emotionally disturbed students requiring individual academic instruction.

During their regular meeting Tuesday, selectmen were told by Town Administrator Jonathan Luiz that EastConn officials are “banging on their door” trying to persuade the board to bring back the second officer.

EastConn is a Hampton-based, nonprofit regional educational service agency that assists school districts in a variety of initiatives.

Selectmen put their foot down to the request and said “no.”

“We voted not to do it,” said Selectman Carmen Vance. “End of story.”
As a municipality, Columbia contracts with the state police for resident state trooper services.

For the trooper assigned to the EastConn special needs school located on Route 66, Columbia pays the bill and EastConn and Windham Schools reimburse the town.

Since Columbia officials did not contract for the state trooper again this fiscal year, the school resource officer was cut from that school.

While funding a trooper in full costs up to $118,000 per year, according to Luiz, Columbia would only pay $10,000 for one month – August, the trooper’s assigned time in Columbia.

The officer could cover vacations for the town’s full-time resident state trooper and be an additional officer in town.

The rest of the year, the trooper would be funded by EastConn and Windham public schools, which partners with the agency in operating ERA.

EastConn Chief Financial Officer John Baskowski was not available this morning, but EastConn officials released a statement on the issue.

“At this point, we’re negotiating with the Town of Columbia to, once again,” place “a resource officer at our ERA (Eastern Regional Academy) facility,” located on Route 66 in Columbia, reads the statement, in part.

Selectman Lisa Roy said the town does not have $10,000 budgeted to fund the resource officer/resident trooper for one month. She said the town should not consider funding it for the future.

“We don’t have money in our budget right now,” said Roy.
Selectman Richard Szegda said he understood troopers are important for schools and towns, but selectmen needed to consider the town’s fiscal state.

“All towns are struggling with financial matters,” he said.

According to Luiz, he was contacted by Baskowski via e-mail regarding town funding for a trooper at ERA.

“We’re at an impasse right now,” he said, adding EastConn officials are “looking to get a deal” with Columbia.

Szegda said, for at least the past four years, the town helped pay for the ERA officer.

Columbia First Selectman Donald Cianci said he was not sure how much the town had spent in the past or when the town entered into the previous agreement with EastConn and Windham.

Szegda said the town’s contribution did allow the trooper to work for the town during the summer, though the latest proposal only has the trooper serving one month.

This spring, during budget deliberations for 2009-10, selectmen voted in favor of cutting the ERA trooper to conserve funds.

This is the first fiscal year the town is not funding the trooper.