Board presses on possible $600,000 lockup cost
The Dartmouth Select Board discussed a potential $600,000 police budget hit tied to the possible closure of the regional lockup at Ash Street in New Bedford.
Select Board · Meeting of October 26, 2026
DARTMOUTH — The Dartmouth Select Board discussed a potential $600,000 police budget hit tied to the possible closure of the regional lockup at Ash Street in New Bedford. Town Administrator Cody Haddad said the town currently pays $75 a day per inmate but could face costs as high as $600,000 annually if the lockup closes and Dartmouth must fully absorb staffing impacts, up from about $30,000 budgeted now. The board agreed to invite the Bristol County Sheriff and Dartmouth's police chief to its November 16 meeting for more details.
Separately, the board unanimously backed a Stepping Stone grant letter for the town's winter shelter, appointed Jesse Sisson Manning to the Historical Commission and Al Olivera to the Veterans Advisory Council, and adopted a new Family Medical Leave Act policy. In a later joint session, Board of Assessors Chairman Kevin Santos detailed a $145,000 contract with Visions Government Solutions to complete the town's required five-year property revaluation, after Haddad disclosed the town had violated state procurement law by paying a prior consultant without a valid contract. Officials said the delay means tax increases will hit entirely in the fourth-quarter bill, with one board member estimating from his own past bills that his fourth-quarter bill could rise about $296.
In the full story:
- Executive Session: Collective Bargaining
- Bristol County Regional Lockup and Ash Street Closure
- Stepping Stone Winter Shelter Grant Letter
- Appointments: Historical Commission and Veterans Advisory Council
- Family Medical Leave Act Policy Approval
- Mass Laborers District Council Local 1249 Memorandum of Agreement
- Joint Meeting with Board of Assessors: Revaluation Status and Staffing
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report: 3,168 words
Source: the Select Board meeting of October 26, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.
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