New London ― Vacant police positions, a possible Yale-New Haven telehealth initiative with the fire department and a solar project at Bate Woods Park were all discussed at a budget hearing Tuesday.

Several city department heads met with the city’s Finance Committee for its first meeting to discuss the mayor’s proposed budget. The committee is made up of City Councilors Reona Dyess, Alma Nartatez and James Burke but Burke was not present Tuesday.

Mayor Michael Passero earlier this month proposed a $102 million budget for 2023-34 with the goal to create a budget that does not raise taxes for residents and businesses. As a result, Passero said funding requests by every city department had to be significantly cut.

Finance Director David McBride said one way to not increase taxes was to remove funding for four of 10 vacant police department positions. However, he said the four positions, if filled, could be funded with the city’s fund balance which would require the council’s approval.

He said the city's fund balance was at $19.2 million, or 19% of the city’s operating budget, as of June 2022.

McBride said the city didn’t see the need to fund the positions and raise taxes if it is likely the positions would not be filled.

Police Chief Brian Wright said the department, like many others, has struggled in recent years with recruitment. He said becoming an officer is a lengthy process and not everyone follows it through or finds it their calling.

Wright said the department employs 64 officers but the ultimate goal is to have 80.

The police department would receive $12.5 million in the proposed budget, a 0.9% increase from the current budget.

Wright sat in front of the councilors Tuesday and presented them an overview of the department’s services in the past year.

He said there were more than 33,000 calls for service and ten new officers were hired. He added the Vice and Intelligence Section served 24 warrants and seized 151 grams of fentanyl/heroin, 376 grams of crack-cocaine and 2,009 grams of cocaine.

Wright said addressing requests through the Freedom of Information Act is a big task for its records division with 3,000 record requests in the last year.

He said the police department started its community engagement and outreach unit over the last year, and 13 students recently graduated from the youth citizens academy.

Wright attributed part of the $90,000 increase in training to unfunded mandates from the police accountability bill. He said sworn officers are required every three years to take a drug test, which will cost $2,500 in the next fiscal year.

Fire Chief Thomas Curcio on Tuesday said the fire department responded to almost 8,000 calls last year, including 46 structure fires.

Curcio said the department could potentially embark on a five-year study program with Yale-New Haven Health, Ledge Light Health District and the city’s Human Services department to provide telehealth and clinician services within 24 hours to drug overdose patients.

He said the city has already been seen as a model for handling overdose patients and having ambulances as part of the department makes all the difference.

The fire department has a proposed $11.8 million budget with a $1.8 million, or 18% increase, from the current budget. The increases are attributed to raised pension costs required by the state’s public pension plan as well as an increase in salaries.

Curcio said the city’s firefighters were the lowest paid in the state before union contract negotiations last year.

Public Works Director Brian Sear said his department is doing its best to maximize its efforts and cut overtime with a fixed number of employees.

Sear said 20 years ago the department had 96 employees and now has 43. Nonetheless, he said the department is making every effort to provide the best services to the city.

The Public Works department has a proposed $7.5 million proposed budget with a $417,218 or 5.9% increase.

Asked about solar power efforts in the city, Sear told the council there were projects in the works at Bates Woods Park and the New London High School Multi-Magnet Campus.

On Thursday, Sear said the city has a contract with Greenskies Clean Energy LLC from North Haven to create a 4 1/2-acre solar panel field at the city park. He said he is waiting to hear back from the state about a grant for the project.

Sear said the energy credits from the project would go to the schools, which have the city’s five largest electricity bills. He said a project to place 40,000 square feet of solar panels on the roof of the high school is close to going out to bid.

The finance committee with continue to meet with city department heads and review budgets on April 18 and 19.

The mayor’s proposed budget can be viewed on the city website at www.newlondonct.org.

j.vazquez@theday.com