Police Chief: No cut in services to town
By DAVID QUESENBERRY
Patriot Publishing
The Pulaski Town Council at Tuesday’s meeting received an update from the Police Department in response to citizen comments about the department’s budget.
Pulaski Police Chief William Kelly spoke to Council concerning the department’s budget.
“Some citizens,” he said, “have noticed that our current fiscal year budget is less than last year’s and they had some concerns that we might not have the same police services because of that budget decrease.”
In response to these concerns, Chief Kelly gave the following presentation to Council.
He noted that the PD budget for this year was $63,187 less than last year’s budget. Of the current budget, 90 percent went to salaries and benefits for department personnel with 10 percent going for operational costs of the department.
Referring to personnel budget line items, Kelly said the largest expenditure was for full-time salaries. Approximately $40,000 was set aside for overtime for personnel working special events or making late arrests.
The balance of the budget was for two part-time officers, various taxes, insurances and retirement.
For this year, Kelly noted the personnel budget was lower than last year’s by $91,325.
The main reason for the personnel budget’s decrease was the hiring of new officers at lower starting salaries. He told Council that last year’s budget was based on the staffing levels at that time. By the time the FY 2026-2027 budget was created, the department lost 8 full-time and one part-time officer. Six of the officers had supervisory positions which had a higher salary.
Replacements for these positions were hired at a starting salary, resulting in lower costs to cover salary and benefits for this fiscal year. Additional hires were being made he said, that would leave the department fully staffed.
With respect to the operating portion of the police budget, Kelly reported that every single line item was either fully funded or increased over last year’s budget. Fully funded were equipment, fuel, vehicle maintenance, supplies, uniforms and daily operations. Funds were increased for communications; Police Academy training, accreditation, and service maintenance contracts. Investments in operations were also made which included new side arms, narcotic detection kits, records management software and two replacement patrol units.
Chief Kelly said the department has two part-time officers both of whom were previously members of the Pulaski Police Department. These officers perform duties such as background checks and staying with patients seeking mental health services at the hospital, which frees up officers and investigators for their full-time missions.
“We have never reduced a full-time officer to part-time status,” he added.
In summary, Chief Kelly said money was not taken from the department budget this year. The decrease of approximately $63,000 was due to hiring new entry level officers to replace senior officers who left the department and part-time officers who asked to rejoin the department after voluntarily retiring.
“We have not suffered a diminishment of our ability to provide police services to the Town of Pulaski” he stated.
Chief Kelly and Chief Jeff Conner of the Pulaski Fire Department next presented Fire Marshall Michael Bruce with the Chairman’s Award of Excellence from the New River Criminal Justice Training Academy.
Bruce was recognized for his work with the Fire and Police Departments and the Academy in training recruits and active duty personnel of the Fire Department. Chief Conner noted the many duties of the Fire Marshall in investigations and inspections that made it a unique office in public safety. Not only does Bruce perform these duties, he said, but he is also a member of the Police Departments of Pulaski and Dublin and has taught classes at the Academy.
Chief Kelly, Vice-Chairman of the Academy presented Bruce with the award in recognition of his outstanding service.
Council next heard from Nathan Smythers, Engineering and Building Department Manager regarding citizen’s comments and concerns on roads.
Smythers told Council that the highways, streets and bridges accounts are funded by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). The line items under these accounts are not limited to paving and street repairs alone, he told Council.
Public Works Street Department employees were also compensated from those accounts, which include regular and overtime salaries, benefits and insurance. Other expenses funded from this account include such items as gravel, drainage pipes, road salt, street striping, sidewalk and bridge repairs, and asphalt for paving. The Town is reimbursed for any work done on approved streets and roads designated by VDOT.
For street paving, Smythers said all funds earmarked for paving were not for the finished product since milling of the pavement may cut down on the amount of paving that could be done at the end of the fiscal year.
The Town tracks all equipment and tasks on a daily basis to ensure the location and the work being done meets VDOT requirements and are eligible for reimbursement. These records are audited several times a year by VDOT.
Council next heard from Nate Repass, Parks and Trails Manager, on future uses of the MacGill Park.
The ten-acre site was acquired by the Town of Pulaski in 1958 through a condemnation process with partial funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, now part of the National Park Service. Currently the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) administers the federal funds to recipients.
At the time of the Town taking possession of the property, half of the funding for the parcel purchase was provided by the federal government on the condition that the property is to remain open to the public for outdoor recreation in perpetuity. This condition applies to 9.4 acres of the site with an additional 1.1 acres exempt since it was purchased privately for an intended Fire Dept. sub-station.
There is a process by which the conditions may be lifted from the property, Repass said, but it is involved and complex. It involves review of the proposal by EPA and Dept. of Historic Resources and a “land swap” with simular property before sign off by the Dept. of the Interior.
The goal currently, he said is to begin a “phased reopening” of the property for outdoor recreation. Grant funding was being looked at to assist in developing a larger plan for the property to bring it back into use.
Councilman Joel Burchett urged that the surrounding neighborhood be brought into the planning process.
Repass also asked for Council’s authorization to begin advertisements for public input on naming four recreational areas in the Town. Those areas are the Draper Mountain Trails; First Street skateboard / basketball area; Kiwanis Park and the Dora Highway Bike Park. Council approved proceeding with the notices.
Council then heard a presentation from Jessica McKinney, President of the Friends of Pulaski Theater Board on the activities of the theater and its impact on the community.
The theater is operated by the Friends of the Pulaski Theater, a 501 (C3) entity that is entirely staffed by volunteers. McKinney told of the recent repair efforts caused by the 1st floor flooding and the fundraising effort for restoration of the second floor.
A new offering of the theater was cooperative efforts with Virginia Tech, Radford University and New River Community College. The theater is considered a vital downtown anchor in attracting more foot traffic, residents and boosting the Downtown overall. This impact was noted by increased restaurant traffic and local sales; more persons at Jackson Park Inn; and overall increases in social media and economic activity.
McKinney said goals for the theater included having at least one concert per month; opening 2-3 days per week; showing more movies; finding more sponsors; and completing renovations. She added that the theater needed financial support as it worked to increase community involvement; advertising; and audience size.
The next scheduled meeting of the Pulaski Town Council is at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, August 4, 2026 in the Council Chambers of the Town Municipal Building at 42 First Street, N.W.