PLAINVILLE - Police Chief Edward Merrick Jr. said that despite budget constraints, he will do all he can to avoid cutting two police officers from the force.

In light of the town's $1.2 million budget deficit, the police department is being cut by about $85,000, the equivalent of two salaries.

With a $650,000 override of the state's Proposition 2 1/2 tax-limiting law, which town meeting voters will be asked to approve Monday night, override, the department budget would be restored by $65,000.

The department is already understaffed, as a position that was vacated last year by a retiree was never filled due to budget constraints. The department also went without an overdue new police cruiser last year because of the town's budget problem.

Merrick said his department budget is 90 percent salaries and 10 percent expenses such as telephone service, so cutting dollars usually means cutting positions, although he is admittedly "loathe to lay anyone off." Merrick said he has been crunching numbers for the last two weeks to avoid sending anyone home.

One possible solution is eliminating the overtime budget, which is currently about $90,000. Under that scenario, when officers take vacation or holiday time, Merrick would leave their shift unfilled, thereby leaving the department undermanned for that time period, but keeping the positions intact.

Merrick said that in the event a shift became too understaffed, he would fill shifts to full capacity during the day and close the department overnight, eliminating the two overnight patrols and relying on the state police to respond to calls, which is required by state law in the event a town's police department is closed.

Merrick called that option an "absolute last resort," but also a "real possibility" if it means not having to lay people off.

"It's not a scare tactic; it's a reality," he said. "If the money's not there, if you can't pay the cops, then you can't have a shift there."

"The alternative of laying somebody off, it does not make me feel well," Merrick said.

Merrick said regardless of whatever solution he comes up with, budget cuts are going to spell some degree of delay of service or non-service.

Merrick said the department has never asked for more money than is needed and does not put "fluff" into the budget, so cutting back is setting the department back in time.

The department had increased by three officers over three years, taking the personnel figures up to the federal norm of 2.5 police officers for every 1,000 residents up until last year, when the department had one retiree and didn't fill that position because of budget problems.

Town Administrator Joseph Fernandes has said he is resistant to cut public safety funds because it puts the townspeople as well as the public safety officers in greater jeopardy. He said the current budget is an answer to a mathematical problem, not a solution. Annual town meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Wood School. Residents will vote on two budgets - one with a $650,000 override of the state's tax-limiting law factored in and one without.

Residents also will vote on how the override money would be appropriated in the event an override passes. An override election is scheduled for June 16.

LAUREN CARTER can be reached at lauren-carter@hotmail.com.