By Dan O’Brien
Union Leader
HOOKSETT, N.H. — Police officials have gotten heat in the past week after top brass were awarded pay raises up to 13 percent behind closed doors. But that hasn’t stopped them from asking for more.
Under the proposed police department budget figures for next year, the chief and Police Commission are asking for the creation of a 2 percent pay raise “pool” for non-union officers, including the same four who got the controversial raises last month.
Police officials said some of the non-union employees would get the raises from the pool on a yearly basis and they would be based on merit. Not every officer would get the raises each year.
While the new round of raises might be on the top brass’ wish list, getting it passed by the Budget Committee is a completely different story.
The Budget Committee is meeting at 7 tonight and by all indications is expected to swing several axes at the proposed $3.85 million police budget.
The wage pool proposal was put into the budget before town councilors last week discovered that the police commission quietly approved a “wage adjustment” after a non-public session Jan. 4, giving Chief Stephen Agrafiotis, two captains and a lieutenant raises of between 10 and 13 percent for this fiscal year.
The four raises will cost taxpayers $30,066. Several town officials are upset the raises were done in the middle of the fiscal year and were not discussed with the town council.
In contrast, the unionized police officers - patrolmen, sergeants and detectives - are seeking a 1.5 percent pay raise for next year. The total budget increase for those raises, spread among 17 officers, would be $16,080, according to town documents, if approved by the budget committee and voters.
At a packed budget committee meeting last Thursday, state Rep. David Hess said, “The police department’s budget is out of control. I think this budget needs a real hard look at a big axe,” Hess said.
The budget fiasco is just the latest cloud to hover over the Hooksett Police Department in the past year.
It was uncovered the department spent more than $175,000 on lawyers to deal with personnel problems, there was a sheriff’s investigation into the handling of school safety reports, the controversial termination of an officer in September and scrutiny over large-scale purchases made at the end of the fiscal year, among others.
“My God, didn’t you think people would be up in arms?” Budget Committee Chairman John Pieroni asked Agrafitois at last week’s meeting.
“With all the issues that have been discussed in public, this is just one more.”
Copyright 2010 Union Leader