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Date: 10/27/2020
CHICOPEE – The Chicopee City Council Meeting took steps on Oct. 20 to lower the tax bill for city residents.
The meeting started off with briefings about the 2021 Fiscal Tax Levy. Two million dollars will be put into the levy, which the council informed will save Chicopee taxpayers money and keep taxes lower this fiscal year. One million dollars of the allocated funds to the levy will only be used in case of emergency. Councilors stressed that the fiscal budget was tight this year and that unless something comes up where they might have to use the funds, the levy money will hopefully carry over into 2021.
The council also spent considerable time discussing various issues of policing with Police Chief William Jebb. Councilors said many Chicopee residents seem to be concerned with the amount of speeding and reckless driving occurring on side streets. The council discussed the Chicopee Police Department’s loss of officers, noting that they are down 25 police officers this year, plus five more currently due to COVID. This makes it hard for members of the force to cover any issues of lower concern, such as speeding. Jebb, however, wants to make it known that he has an open office where residents can call at any time.
If there are certain areas of Chicopee where speeding is occurring, the council urged residents to let the chief know. They encouraged residents to “have a little bit of patience” with the force at this time.
Despite the losses in the force, Councilor Frank Laflamme said, “The chief assured us all parts of the city are covered 24/7.”
Jebb is aware of the speeding issues within the city and assured residents that Chicopee is covered 24/7, seven days a week. He asked residents to be understanding as they cope with loss of staff. As of right now, only two officers are going through the Chicopee Police Academy. The issue, along with COVID and a current “climate that is not conducive to becoming a police officer,” according to Councilor James Tillotson, seems to be the rate of pay for officers in Chicopee.
Laflamme noted, “They’re fighting a losing battle. One of the big things that’s causing it is their pay.” Many officers are able to find better pay in other areas of Western Massachusetts, thus causing them to relocate, he added.
Councilor William Courchesne emphasized the issue of pay and noted that it will be hard to get officers to stay with the Chicopee Police Force unless it is rectified.
“We need to have more serious talks about the starting pay,” he said.
To see the entirety of the City Council Meeting, got to the ChicopeeTV Facebook Page.