Stoneham Override Committee Hears Police, DPW Warn of Deepening Staffing Deficits

STONEHAM — July 29, 2025 — Stoneham Override Study Committee hears police and public works staffing warnings as override study deepens. At the July 29 meeting, the Stoneham Police Chief told the committee that his department spent roughly $777,000 on overtime in fiscal year 2025 against a $555,000 budget, with four officer positions frozen and calls for service up 42 percent since 2000 — from 13,116 in 2000 to 18,620 in 2024 — while sworn staffing has held flat at 40. Department of Public Works Director Brett Gonsalves said his field workforce has dropped from roughly 60 employees in the early 1980s to 15 today, with a 2018 report identifying a $5.8 million sidewalk repair backlog and equipment costs of approximately $1 million just to replace the highest-priority vehicles. Town Administrator Dennis Sheehan presented a pension funding schedule showing the town's FY26 obligation of $5.8 million declining toward a long-term normal cost of roughly $2.1 million as the system nears full funding. The committee voted unanimously to accept minutes from its July 16 and July 22 sessions and agreed to move its August school-department presentation from August 19 to August 20 to accommodate the superintendent, with a public comment period set to debut at the August 5 Fire Department meeting.