The Peterborough Police Department has a plan for restructuring which will lower the department’s budget for next year and “strengthen the department’s resiliency,” Town Administrator Nicole MacStay said at Tuesday night’s Budget Committee meeting.

MacStay presented an overview of the 2025 Peterborough town budget and working drafts of the warrant articles to the Budget Committee in preparation for the town’s public hearing March 5, followed by the deliberative session on April 2. Peterborough Town Meeting is May 15. 

MacStay said Police Chief Scott Guinard has proposed a reorganization of the department which will “de-centralize leadership.” According to the proposal, instead of filling the full-time captain position that had originally been budgeted for 2025, that position will be eliminated, creating a savings in salary, benefits and pension. Instead, the department will create two lieutenant positions among existing staff. The administrative duties would be shared between the chief, the existing part-time captain and the two lieutenants. 

“This reorganization would save the town approximately $80,000 in fiscal year 2025. It will allow for more people who can take on administrative and prosecutorial duties. It will allow for backup,  and it will position the department better for the transition into Chief Guinard’s eventual retirement,” MacStay said.

According to MacStay, Guinard has previously stated he plans to stay with the Peterborough Police Department for two more years and will then continue on part-time to ease the transition to new leadership.

Committee Chair Rick Lesser asked if there was a “strong candidate” to replace the chief, and MacStay said the candidate could be internal or external depending on who might be interested in the position.  

Osterman raises ambulance reimbursements

Budget Committee member Andrew Osterman announced he will be voting against the town budget due to reimbursements to the ambulance service. He claimed that the town should be receiving $450,000 more, based on the receipts for services provided.

“I feel the ambulance service is under-collecting on reimbursements. If you look at the receipts, if we are collecting 65% of what is billed, so there is a lost opportunity for revenue of up to $450,000,” Osterman said. 

“You are looking at the gross receipts. We cannot bill all of it to Medicaid. Insurers do not pay the full amount that is billed,” MacStay responded.

Fire Chief Ed Walker reiterated that gross receipts and billable receipts are different, and that Osterman was looking at gross receipts to reach the figure of $450,000. 

At the suggestion of Budget Committee member Carl Mabbs-Zeno, Osterman agreed to present a written explanation of his concerns regarding ambulance fee reimbursements to the town by Feb. 19. MacStay said the town would respond to the concerns before the public budget hearing on March 5. 

Lesser said that aside from Osterman’s personal concerns regarding the ambulance service, the Budget Committee is “happy with the budget and has no issues with it.” 

For information about the Peterborough town budget, go to the town website, peterboroughnh.gov.