By Lani Duke
Rent-a-cop
Rutland Town’s Select Board is updating its contract to farm out the town’s police officers on a contracted basis. The officers may work an extra 20 hours a week outside their regular hours; the town receives $62.50 an hour to cover not only its cost at an overtime rate or $37.50 per man-hour but also equipment maintenance, insurance, and retirement fees. As employees of the town, contracted officers would wear their town uniforms and drive town vehicles and would be required to put the town’s needs before those of contracted work.
RCAS resolves city debt
Recent negotiations open the way for the Rutland County Agricultural Society to hold the Vermont State Fair this September. Had the RCAS not reached an agreement with the city, there might have been no fair this year. When the Vermont State Fair ended its 2014 season, it owed some $54,000 to Rutland City, a debt that included vendor fees, public safety charges, and a water bill for some $10,000. The city had already soured on accepting a payment plan. Last year’s agreement to pay yielded no funds. This year, the fair had to put up collateral. The RCAS board voted unanimously July 27, 2015, to approve sale of the fairgrounds’ southern end, chiefly Royce Mandigo Arena, if the debt is not paid off in monthly installments over the next three years.
