By Carol Vaughn —
The Onancock Town Council, after public hearings Monday, Oct. 26, approved a change to the town code that allows council members to attend meetings remotely under certain, limited circumstances.
The meeting minutes will include the reason for the member’s absence, all attendees must be able to hear the remote participants, and remote attendance is limited to two meetings per year if it is due to a personal matter.
The council still has to have a quorum physically present at meetings.
The council also approved a change that allows the town to declare a local state of emergency.
That allows the town to apply for FEMA funds and to require certain things within the town limits, but it does not override anything the county does for the town, according to Town Manager Matt Spuck.
No one spoke at the public hearings.
After a third public hearing, the council voted to authorize Spuck to proceed with the sale of town-owned property on Justis Street.
The council also accepted a bid of $227,000 submitted by Murtech, Inc. to renovate the Onancock Wharf boat ramp. It was the only bid received.
Work will include demolition of the existing ramp and bulkhead and construction of a new 61-foot long ramp and a new bulkhead, along with refacing part of the existing bulkhead.
The council discussed a three-year plan for the police department and approved a resolution stating the town’s intent to apply for USDA loans and grants to buy two police vehicles.
The town is in the process of developing similar plans for all major departments.
The purpose of having a three-year plan for each major department is so officials “can start to see what goals we have for each of those areas — the goals that we are going to accomplish and achieve over the next three years,” Spuck said.
For the police department, the big expense is wages.
Revenue for the department “is really nominal,” Spuck said, noting revenue comes mainly from state funding and traffic stops. That is not expected to change significantly, he said.
Police Chief Eric Williams, who was at the meeting, obtained salary information from other town police departments and the Accomack County Sheriff’s Office, which was included in the meeting packet.
Current pay for police chiefs around the area ranges from $60,000 to $80,000, Spuck said.
“The goal that we’ve set out is that we would like our police department to be compensated in the top third of Shore agencies — not at the very top, but clearly not at the very bottom,” he said.
Onancock police salaries are among the lowest in the area, Spuck said.
Spuck said the goal to increase salaries “is put out there as a starting point for conversation,” and it is up to council whether to agree with it.
By 2024, taking into account cost of living increases, “if we want our officers to be in the top third, that would mean our chief would (earn) roughly $80,000,” Spuck said.
The current salary is around $60,000.
Other officers’ pay also would increase gradually, according to the plan.
“Losing an officer for a few thousand dollars doesn’t make any sense” when it costs “upwards of $20,000” to pay to train a new officer, Spuck said, adding, “…We want to be competitive.”
The town currently spends around $6,500 a year for police training.
“In the climate that we’re living (in) right now, I think there’s opportunity for us to enhance the training of our officers a little bit more,” Spuck said, proposing to add to the current training required for certification additional training, including in diversity, de-escalation, and community policing strategies.
Proposed changes in the plan would cost an additional $159,000 for the police budget by 2024.
