Taneytown Councilwoman Diane Foster complained at the council’s meeting that the municipal Police Department seems to come before council with more financial issues that any of the other departments of city government.

Foster comments were expressed during consideration of paying the police for 95 hours (or some $11,000) of benefit time that could not be used as a result of demands placed on police as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The councilwoman said that over the past two years, the Police Department has approached the council on several issues, all relating to funding.

She said, "First we had to give them raises or they would leave – police left anyway. Then there was a request – which we did not approve – for an additional officer. Then there was the carry-over of 95 hours of leave. Now it’s the pay-out of annual-leave."

The Police Department is not the only staff that the city funds, she said … noting that the town has a Public Works Department, "who do a tremendous job, and never seem to come to us for any such things." The councilwoman further commented that it always seems that it’s the Police Department seeking expenditure approvals.

Regarding compensation to Taneytown police officers for unused benefit time, Foster noted that the original amount requested had been reduced through various means, for final consideration at the regular October meeting. "I’m not happy with coming to the end of the year and having to fund unexpected things like this," she said.

"I feel like if I didn’t bring up getting the figure lower (when the request was previously presented by police to council), we would have just rubber-stamped the original amount, and I don’t think that’s right," adding, "The fact that the amount was able to be reduced just leads me to think it didn’t have to happen in the first place had proper scheduling been done."

Although the councilwoman said she had problems with paying police for the unpaid leave, she said, "At this point, I will reluctantly approve this because I don’t want to begrudge any of the officers what is due to them."

However, she said, "But going forward … they do not come next year asking for pay-out of any leave. It (using benefit leave time) should be properly scheduled. It can be properly scheduled. I just don’t expect to see this for the next budget."

However, Councilman Joe Vigliotti pointed out that the accrual of the used leave was largely due to the police being regarded as essential employees, having to work beyond normal expectations, along with monitoring protests. "This idea that the scheduling wasn’t properly done - it’s that circumstances dictated that we couldn’t properly follow a properly-set schedule."