At the Madison town meeting on June 8, the nearly 200 people in attendance voted to accept the selectmen’s recommendation for the police budget rather than the advisory board’s recommendation for $88,000 more. The difference was that the selectmen’s recommendation depended on the town eliminating the Madison Police Department (minus a chief) in favor of making the town’s public safety needs a division of the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office.

From the town manager’s report, residents learned that the manager asked town department heads to lower their budgets; they did, for an average of 11 percent. SAD 59 was asked to reduce theirs; it did, by $500,000. The county was asked; it did not, actually raising it by 5 percent instead.

For the county’s lack of cooperation, it was given the Madison Police Department.

A couple of residents questioned the loss of local control of the police department if the town went with the sheriff’s office. Selectman Albert Veneziano responded that the selectmen really never did have control. As soon as Tuesday’s election was over, selectmen relieved the Madison police chief of his duties as of July 1. Sounds like control to me. It is still not clear if the town will be responsible for compensation to the chief.

Even though it was written in the town warrant that a possible takeover by the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office would affect the budget, only one selectman said the higher budget would guarantee keeping the town’s police department. Meeting Chairman Phil Curtis said the people could not direct the selectmen to an operational decision, even though such an option was mentioned in the warrant.

People who want to see anti-democracy in action should attend a Madison town meeting.

Peter P. Sirois

Madison