BUCKHANNON – When the City of Buckhannon passed its 1 percent sales tax in 2019, city officials pledged to use the money to invest in public safety and infrastructure projects.

So, not surprisingly, the Street Department and Buckhannon Police Department draft budgets make up the largest chunks of the general fund budget as they did in the 2020-2021 fiscal year budget.

As part of his $1.2 million budget, down slightly from $1.3 million for the current fiscal year, Buckhannon Police Chief Matt Gregory requested about $26,400 in what he referred to as “salary differentials” or merit-based raises for qualifying officers.

Gregory said he felt the increases were justified based on the high standards officers must adhere to as the BPD prepares to begin the final stage of its accreditation process through the prestigious Center for Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies, or CALEA.

“We’ve really increased the standards of our operations, and that’s from the top down from the administration all the way down to the officers out here working on the street regarding the various expectations that we have as a police department, that we have as a city, that we place on their work product, on their operations themselves in realizing and achieving this accreditation we’re on the cusp of,” Gregory told council. “I come to you in that vein; I would submit that the Buckhannon Police Department is unique in the services we offer and the standards that we adhere to because of CALEA.”

Gregory said that if the BPD attains accreditation this summer, it will be only the second police department in the state to do so, following the Parkersburg Police Department.

“Only 5 percent of police departments in the U.S. have been accredited,” the chief said. “Most certainly, the Buckhannon Police Department most assuredly has come a long, long way.”

Gregory proposed a set of pay raises based on rank structure (corporal, sergeant, etc.), educational status, and specialized training, including EMT basic training. For example, the chief’s proposal included a $1 per hour increase for a certified police officer with an associate degree or a bachelor’s degree; a $1.50 increase for a certified police officer with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice; a 50 cents an hour increase for when someone advances to a new rank; and a 50 cents per hour increase for specialized training.

The police chief requested funds for digital storage related to in-car cameras and body cameras, as well as money to replace half the computers in the office.

Gregory also requested $17,000 to equip and outfit members of the VIPS, or Volunteers in Police Service, and some items included in the request were FEMA National Incident Management Software and radios.

“VIPS itself was first achieved by grant funding, and … after that, we’ve absorbed out of the police budget just to maintain VIPS, but it’s grown from five people to 15 people, which is substantial, and so we’ve requested a little higher than what we typically ask for, for them,” Gregory said.

The Street Department’s budget, tentatively set at $1,508,898, comprises the largest portion of the general fund budget.

Notable expenses include $91,100 for a new front-wheel loader, which will be used for loading and laying dirt, gravel and salt;
$75,000 for paving projects in residential areas after July 2021; and $131,000 for street projects, with most of that funding being used to accomplish a ‘complete streets’ overlay on North Spring Street, which will include paving, sidewalks and lighting.

Included in the Streets budget is $60,000 designated for Consolidated Public Works operations, including parks maintenance, and $117,300, the payment on the new Street Department headquarters on Mud Lick Road.

Public works director Jerry Arnold and street superintendent Brad Hawkins said the money allocated for paving in the current fiscal year budget (2020-2021) will be used to pave Smithfield Street, and noted the North Kanawha Street project is also funded by the current year’s budget.

“The North Kanawha Street project will start as soon as weather breaks starting with the replacement of sidewalks,” Arnold said. “The Street Department portion of the North Spring Street [project] will begin in May or June with sidewalk work. The plan is to have both projects completed and the street paved by November 2021.”

According to a previous budget article in our series, the City of Buckhannon is on track to produce a record budget for the 2021-2022 fiscal year, bolstered by an influx of funds from the 1 percent sales tax that went into effect last January. The additional funding will allow the city to significantly strengthen its essential services, from public safety to infrastructure.

Buckhannon City Council is currently considering a budget of more than $5 million for the upcoming fiscal year.