KILLINGLY - Killingly is on track to add a third constable to its growing police force and could welcome an assistant town manager in the coming months.
Town Manager Sean Hendricks said he’s received five applications for the assistant slot and will use the month of January to evaluate the prospects and conduct interviews. If all goes well, the Town Council may be asked to offer its consent to Hendricks’ choice in February.
The town has been without an assistant town manager for several years. Council members during the last budget cycle voted to add up to $175,000 into the 2017-18 spending plan to fill the slot and to bump one of Hendricks’ assistant's hours to full time.
“In the short-term, having an assistant town manager will free me up to concentrate on the upcoming budget process, as well as to focus on things like our emergency management protocol and the town’s new employee evaluation system,” Hendricks said.
Hendricks said the new hire will handle much of the human resource duties he’s overseeing.
“I’d also like to advocate more at the legislative level,” he said. “One of the important roles of leaders in this part of the state is speaking for or against various pieces of legislation. Lawmakers tend to listen to local leaders on those issues.”
Hendricks also recently made a job offer to a 25-year Norwich police veteran who, if he accepts, would be the town’s third constable.
“He’s going through the vetting process now and I’d like to have that third position filled by the end of February,” he said. “We may make a fourth hire later this year, which would keep us on the three-year track we planned for.”
The town plans to reduce its three resident state trooper cadre by one in July.
The council last year voted to form a licensed constabulary partly as a cost-savings measure because it costs far less to pay overtime wages to constables. The move will eventually put more licensed law enforcement officers out on patrol.
Council Chairman Jonathan Cesolini said he’s supportive of both the assistant town manager and new police hires.
“I’ve been told the overall cost of new constables will remain the same as we decrease our reliance on troopers,” he said. “It would be different if we were just front-loading these hires. And the council has been unanimous in its opinion about getting that assistant town manager hired. I think giving (Hendricks) an underboss will be an effective hire for the town.”