Princeton board debates vehicles, leaf machine and whether to add a patrol officer amid tax concerns

The Board of Commissioners devoted significant time April 6 to budget priorities that include equipment purchases and staffing.

Town staff presented options for paying for a public works leaf machine, a new public‑works truck and at least one police vehicle. The town has about $75,000 in a sweep account that could be used to pay cash for those purchases; staff warned that financing the vehicles would add interest costs (estimates presented included approximately $5,600 interest on a $41,000 truck over three years). The administrator explained the trade‑off: “Financing is almost double what we're earning” in the town’s current interest accounts.

The board also discussed whether to add a patrol officer to preserve or improve 24‑hour coverage. Chief Sutton described gaps that occur when officers unexpectedly call out and said staffing strain is a human‑resources and scheduling problem as much as a budget question: “There’s no way we can do it with the manpower we have,” the chief said, urging attention to recruitment and grant opportunities such as the federal COPS program.

Commissioners were split on whether to add personnel if it requires a tax increase. One commissioner cautioned against raising taxes for recurring staffing costs and urged the board to show specific budget numbers before making a decision; the mayor and others asked staff to prepare a budget option that would show the full cost of adding one officer (salary, benefits, equipment) without a vehicle so the board could review the tradeoffs.

On fleet policy, the board discussed standardizing police vehicle models to reduce maintenance and carryover costs; staff provided state and vendor quotes for a few patrol models for review. Board members directed staff to prepare a draft budget showing scenarios for 3% and 5% cost‑of‑living adjustments, plus options that include one officer (no vehicle), and to return with the data before finalizing the FY26–27 budget.

What’s next: staff will prepare a budget scenario that includes a mid‑shift officer (salary and equipment) and another that keeps current staffing; the board will use that comparison to decide whether to add personnel without immediately raising taxes.