Note: This article was originally posted on BarrettCommunity.com
Question:
Did we save money by switching from Barrett Township to Pocono Mountain Regional police?
Answer:
I'm going through the "Public Safety - Police" total expense lines for years available to me and here is what I have:
[Updated 1/7/21 to include 2020's budget]
2010: $552,000 (When Barrett had 6 officers)
2011: ?
2012: ?
2013: ? (+ $100,000*)
2014: ?
2015: $709,000 (The year that Barrett police disbanded. Had 5 officers)
2016: $520,000 (Regional)
2017: $520,000 (Regional)
2018: $578,000 (Regional)
2019: $551,000 (Regional)
2020: $575,048 (Regional)
On paper, the answer is yes, it seems we are saving over $100k per year, when you compare 2015 to future years.
However if you rewind a few years further, back to when we had less officers in town, the costs are roughly equal.
* Jury finds Barrett Twp. cops at fault for Cresco man’s death
(Opinion: this could also have factored into the overall decision about going with regional police, as it might have required higher insurance premiums to keep these two officers on payroll)