Hopkinton Police Chief Joseph Bennett and Lt. Scott van Raalten appeared before the Select Board Tuesday as van Raalten was appointed as the town’s new deputy police chief.
Before the proceeding began, Select Board chair Brian Herr clarified for the record that the appointment was a continuation of a process to fill the deputy chief position. That process was slowed down in June following the election of a new Select Board.
“The board … opted not to fill [the position] for a time so that new members could get their heads around what was going on in the department, what was going on in town, et cetera,” Herr explained.
“It was about making an informed decision,” added member Joe Clark.
Both Bennett and Town Manager Elaine Lazarus reviewed the process that led to the chief’s recommendation of van Raalten. After a formal recruitment process, work with a consultant group, interviews and an assessment center, Bennett said van Raalten “came out on top.”
“Through the process — every part of it I saw — Lt. van Raalten was the front runner,” said Bennett.
According to the chief, van Raalten effectively assumed the role of second-in-command in August 2022 after former Deputy Chief John “Jay” Porter was placed on administrative leave over allegations of child rape.
In April of this year, van Raalten was elevated to the rank of lieutenant in a unanimous vote by the Select Board.
“When he made lieutenant, it was probably the first decent night’s sleep I’ve had since August 2022,” Bennett said.
Once the chief provided his remarks, the board took turns questioning van Raalten. Both Clark and member Shahidul Mannan asked the lieutenant to share his vision for the HPD going forward.
“We’ve never had this many officers,” van Raalten said. “The next role for us is to build the leadership — to build the future of the agency.”
Prior to van Raalten’s hearing, the board approved three new police officers to join the HPD. One officer, Peter Lord, is a lateral transfer. Eva Cann and Jennifer Manning are academy candidates who will attend the Boylston Police Academy starting Jan. 21.
The addition of these three officers brings the department’s roster up to 28.
Lt. van Raalten acknowledged that the unprecedented growth of the HPD likely would cause hiccups, but he asserted the officers were up for the challenge.
“Without a doubt, I have full confidence in the officers we’ve hired,” the lieutenant added.
Herr and Clark asked van Raalten to reflect on his growth in the department and how mistakes he’s made have shaped his 23-year career with the HPD.
“The mistakes I’ve made … it was more about explaining why it happened and what occurred,” said van Raalten. “If punishment is due, then punishment is due.”
“As long as you’re doing the right thing for the right reasons, I think at the end of the day you’ll be OK,” he added.
Clark and Herr’s questions followed remarks during the public comment period of the Select Board meeting, ahead of van Raalten’s appearance. Resident Karen Crum levied criticisms against the town on a number of issues, including the handling of former HPD officer Tim Brennan.
Brennan was dismissed by the Select Board in February for failing to report the child rape allegations against former Deputy Chief Porter.
In her remarks, Crum singled out van Raalten. “He’s probably the only person we promoted in the department within eight months who has the most amount of internal investigations on him,” Crum claimed. She alluded to investigations relating to “racial events,” among other concerns.
After further discussion, the Select Board voted 4-0 to promote van Raalten to the role of deputy police chief, with member Mary Jo LaFreniere recusing herself from the vote.
Board grapples with FY 26 budget
Board members heard from Chief Financial Officer Kyla LaPierre, who provided an update on the budgeting process for fiscal year 2026.
She shared preliminary budget information to the board, which included all departmental requests excluding the School Department, which will be finalizing its budget later this week.
LaPierre’s conclusions from the preliminary budget painted a difficult picture of the town’s finances. “New growth for FY 26 is expected to be less than FY 25,” she said.
According to LaPierre, the FY 26 budget shows a $1.6 million debt exclusion, with repayment amounts expected to increase due to “the amount of borrowing that’s expected on the schools.”
The preliminary numbers anticipate a 6.3% increase in the school’s budget for FY 26. The budget for benefits and insurance is expected to increase somewhere between 8%-12% also.
LaPierre noted that departmental requests came in “significantly high” in comparison to FY 25. With not much change in annual revenue, these requests would result in a nearly $4.7 million shortfall in the town’s operating budget.
“We’re going to have to make some significant cuts,” LaPierre concluded.
When asked for clarification by the board, LaPierre explained that a 1.3% increase above the FY 25 operational budget was the maximum allowance the town had before having to dip into free cash or enacting an override.
Herr noted there was “a lot of work to do on the budget” and worried about the town’s appetite for an override.
“Already, the average homeowner with an $850,000 house is going to pay $12,500 [in taxes] in FY 25,” Herr lamented. In five years, that tax amount is anticipated to increase to $18,500.
The board continued its conversation about finances as it moved on to other business.
During a discussion about the Annual Town Meeting in May 2025, members cautioned residents and town departments about adding financial articles to the warrant.
“We have to look at the needs of the community and focus on that solely,” said Herr.
“We will not have the money for the ‘wants’ in 2025 or the next several years after that,” he added.
Mannan echoed Herr’s concerns.
“We need economic development, so let’s focus on that,” Mannan said. “We need more revenue, and cost cutting only is not going to help.”
Hope everyone is paying attention to the budget here. The almost certain possibility of a significant budget shortfall and subsequent override request looks to be on the horizon for FY26. As we know, the massive capital spending on the schools approved the past couple of years, and the funding for the operating budget, both come from the same source- the pockets of Hopkinton taxpayers. After investing our tax dollars in extremely expensive building projects, it’s likely the town/schools will be looking for additional funding to bolster the operating budget. Maintaining all town services at the current level is completely unrealistic and unsustainable. Just as residents have to adjust our household spending to stay within our budget, the town needs to do the same.