Cromwell Town Council Approves Police Budget at $4.77 Million in Second Budget Workshop

Town Council · Meeting of March 4, 2026

Cromwell Town Council approved more than two dozen department budgets Wednesday in its second straight day of budget workshops, adding a net $6,000 above the town manager's recommended figures. The council set the Police Department budget at $4,770,439, with newly appointed Police Chief telling members that rising training mandates and overtime tied to firearms qualification days for roughly 28 officers are the primary cost drivers. Legal expenses were cut to $206,775 — about $33,000 below the recommended figure — after members noted that charter revision legal costs and a major lawsuit settlement that inflated last year's bill are not expected to recur.

Town Planner Andrew Armstrong won approval of a $167,280 department budget that includes a $20,000 consultant-led rewrite of the town's outdated zoning regulations, which Armstrong described as "not even salvageable" in their current form, warning that pending state housing legislation could strip local land-use authority without updated rules. The donations and dues line was held open after the council deferred a decision on the Cultural District Commission's $1,500 request, though members agreed to a $1,000 increase for the Hillside Road Cemetery Association after its president reported a $8,000 operating deficit driven by a collapse in plot sales to just two last year.

In the full story:

• The complete report — 1,280 words

Source: the Town Council meeting of March 4, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

The Full Article

CROMWELL — March 4, 2026 — The Cromwell Town Council approved budget figures for more than two dozen town departments Wednesday during the second of a multi-day budget workshop, voting to fund the Police Department at $4,770,439 while trimming legal expenses and making small cuts elsewhere as members searched for savings ahead of a fiscal year they described as financially tight.

The session ran from 4:30 p.m. to 7:27 p.m. and covered public works capital requests carried over from Tuesday, along with the police and animal control departments, elections, planning and land use offices, health, recreation, insurance, central services, the town council's own budget, and several other line items. By adjournment, the council had added a net $6,000 above the town manager's recommended figures — a thin margin that members acknowledged reflected ongoing pressure to constrain spending.

The Full Story

The evening opened with a moment of silence led by the presiding member for four U.S. service members killed in a Middle East conflict over the preceding weekend. The council then returned to public works capital requests begun Tuesday.

Public Works Director Lou presented four highway department items. The council discussed a $240,000 payloader, a $155,000 mini excavator, a Wacker drum roller, and an $80,000 crew-cab mason dump truck. Council member Al Waters questioned the excavator's necessity given the current budget climate, and said he would prefer to eliminate that line.

"I am against the $155,000 to be honest with you. No offense, but we have to start cutting." [00:13:47] — Al Waters, Town Council member

The town manager had recommended the mini excavator and the mason dump truck but not the payloader or drum roller. The council did not take a final vote on individual capital line items Wednesday; those are to be tallied together at the conclusion of the full capital review, which will include Board of Education items Thursday.

The police department drew the longest deliberation. Newly appointed Police Chief — appearing before the council for the first time in that role — presented a proposed budget of $4,770,439, citing increased training requirements under new state mandates and rising overtime costs tied to firearms qualification days involving roughly 28 officers. Vehicle maintenance was also discussed; members noted cruisers are reaching 30,000 to 50,000 miles, raising maintenance exposure. The council found little room to reduce the figure.

"I don't personally see anywhere that we could safely cut and not sacrifice either safety or vehicle maintenance in a way that I think would be responsible." [00:53:23] — Council member, unidentified

The council also wrestled with legal expenses. The town manager's recommended figure was reduced by $30,000 — dropping contract services from $7,500 to $4,000 and general legal expenses to bring the total to $206,775, down from the original recommended figure of approximately $239,775. Members noted that charter revision legal costs, which inflated the prior year's bill, are not expected to recur for at least four more years, and that a major lawsuit was resolved in the prior fiscal year.

Under the donations and dues line, the council agreed to add $1,000 to the Hillside Road Cemetery Association's annual allocation, accepting the association president's account of an $8,000 operating deficit last year after plot sales fell to just two in the prior fiscal year. A motion by Al Waters to increase the donation to $6,500 failed for lack of a second. The historical society's request for an additional $6,000 to support 250th anniversary programming was discussed favorably, but a decision was deferred; council members also asked the Cultural District Commission to return with more specific plans before committing $1,500 to that body. The full donations and dues line item was held open for a follow-up presentation at the next regular council meeting.

Town Planner Andrew Armstrong made a detailed case for a $20,000 rewrite and reformatting of the town's zoning regulations, split between his department and the Planning and Zoning Commission line. Armstrong said the existing document contains errors, is not searchable, and cannot accommodate pending state housing legislation without a full rebuild. The council approved his department budget, which incorporated the consultant cost.

"If I felt like I could reformat this document myself, I would, but it's just not possible. It is actually rebuilding it pretty much from scratch because the existing one is at the level where it's not even salvageable." [01:48:03] — Town Planner Andrew Armstrong

Insurance was approved at $663,200 with members expressing frustration at the lack of competitive alternatives to the town's insurer, CIRMA. Central services came in at $295,501, with members noting a breakdown showing $96,000 for IT services, $34,000 in computer replacements, $29,000 for Microsoft 365 licenses, and $17,000 for internet service. Charter revision was symbolically funded at $1, as the charter cannot be reopened for several more years. The Community Events Committee budget item, listed at $30,000, was approved unanimously to support the town's planned 250th anniversary celebration; organizers reported roughly $10,000 in private commitments so far.

Why It Matters

The council is working through the full municipal budget in a series of special workshop sessions before a final spending plan is presented for adoption. Wednesday's decisions on the police department — the second-largest departmental budget — and legal expenses represent two of the larger line items in the general fund. The planning department's zoning-rewrite request carries a deadline urgency: council members and the town manager warned that pending state housing legislation could shift land-use decision-making authority away from the town if updated regulations are not in place. Thursday's session is set to take up 18 Board of Education capital requests, with the town manager having recommended roughly half of them, setting up a prioritization discussion between town and school capital needs.

Key Motions & Votes

- Vote: Police Department budget, $4,770,439 Tally: For: 6, Against: 0, Abstain: 1, Total: 7

- Vote: Animal Control budget, $102,622 Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Elections Department budget, $136,614 Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Economic Development Commission part-time wages amendment to $1,200 Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Economic Development Commission budget, $22,309 Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Emergency Management budget, $22,050 Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Health Department budget, $238,451 Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Recreation Department budget, $322,431 Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Legal Expenses budget, $206,775 (with reductions to general legal and contract services lines) Tally: For: 6, Against: 0, Abstain: 1, Total: 7

- Vote: Central Services budget, $295,501 Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Insurance Expense budget, $663,200 Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Town Council budget, $1,950 Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Board of Finance budget, $62,974 Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Charter Revision Committee budget, $1 Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Town Planner budget, $167,280 Tally: For: 6, Against: 0, Abstain: 1, Total: 7

- Vote: Development Compliance budget, $126,858 Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Planning and Zoning Commission budget, $14,100 Tally: For: 6, Against: 0, Abstain: 1, Total: 7

- Vote: Zoning Board of Appeals budget, $1,250 Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Inland Wetlands budget, $1,900 Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Conservation Commission budget, $1,400 Tally: For: 6, Against: 0, Abstain: 1, Total: 7

- Vote: Community Events Committee (fireworks/250th celebration) budget, $30,000 Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Town Clerk budget, $238,609 Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Revenue Collection budget, $184,467 Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Assessor's Office budget, $286,192 Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Board of Assessment Appeals budget, $600 Tally: Approved unanimously

• Action: Donations and Dues line item (item 12) — Continued to next regular Town Council meeting (week of March 9, 2026)

Source

Cromwell's community access TV: Town Council meeting, March 4, 2026