Bellows Falls residents are digging into their pockets a little deeper in order to restore the village police department to full time.
Voters at the village’s annual meeting yesterday opted to add $90,000 to the budget to pay the police costs.
Earlier this year village trustees cut the police budget 25% back in an effort to control a municipal budget deficit.
Manager John Schempf says the police force went over budget because the department had to pay overtime to provide 24-hour coverage.
Schempf says the extra money would enable acting Police Chief John Dunfee to hire the two new officers necessary to provide around-the-clock service without overtime.