Bristol Officials Clash With Mayor-Elect As Police Costs Reviewed

Council President Ralph DiGuiseppe and Mayor-elect Frank Peranteau.

As Bristol Borough is working to confront a budget shortfall, there has been debate over how to close the gap and the cost of the police department.

Council President Ralph DiGuiseppe stated that the process was complicated by the absence of a police spending plan from Mayor-elect Frank Peranteau, the borough’s former police chief and district judge.

Peranteau is set to take office in January.

Peranteau stated he spoke with Borough Manager Jim Dillon and did not believe he was required to submit a proposal this week, but he pledged to work on one for the next meeting that will be held Monday evening.

Peranteau asserted the police department is understaffed and overworked, which DiGuiseppe challenged.

DiGuiseppe argued that any officers described as “overworked” are so by choice, as they voluntarily work overtime under the collective bargaining agreement to increase their pension benefits.

“The full-time officer chooses, and I want to use that word, he chooses to work the overtime,” DiGuiseppe said. “For you to say they’re overworked, they’re not overworked. They’re overworked because they choose to work the overtime.”

Chief of Police Joe Moors confirmed that the contract requires offering overtime first to full-time officers before it can be assigned to part-time staff. Moors stated officers are not forced to work, noting he has “never forced anybody to work” and “never denied anybody their time off.” He added that for safety reasons, the bargaining agreement permits officers to work up to three consecutive 16-hour shifts before mandatory time off.

The rising cost of the police department are a pressure point for the borough.

Overtime costs are projected to hit $385,000 in 2026.

In 2024, the total cost for the borough’s full-time officers was just over $2 million.

Individual full-time officer salaries, including medical insurance and pension but excluding overtime, range from $176,400 to $234,000.

A chart from the borough of the cost of full-time officers.

Overtime costs have the potential to push the total cost of some officers to more than $260,000.

Council is considering maintaining its current staffing plan of 10 full-time and nine part-time officers, along with a command structure of a chief, four sergeants, and a newly created lieutenant slot.

The chief refuted a rumor that a deputy chief role was also being created.

The financial strain has led the council to explore transitioning toward more part-time officers, who earn $28 per hour without benefits.

The cost of a part-time officer totals approximately $52,000 annually for a 36-hour work week.

DiGuiseppe advocated for the approach and argued the borough could deploy three part-time officers for the cost of one full-time officer.

“You could put a part-time cop on for $52,000. I could put three guys on for one,” DiGuiseppe said. “When you’re talking about protecting the town and the residents and doing the right thing, you hire three cops.”

Peranteau noted that part-time officers often juggle working for multiple departments and are actively seeking full-time positions elsewhere.

The borough’s financial challenges are compounded by other police costs.

Annual police pension contributions total $683,000, with taxpayers covering over $537,000 of that amount. Medical insurance costs for the police department are projected to jump from $322,000 to $387,000 next year, officials said.

The budget is further strained by two officers on long-term disability.

DiGuiseppe pointed out that officers on “heart and lung benefits” receive 100 percent of their salary tax-free while at home.

“They get more money to stay home than come to work,” DiGuiseppe said. “The taxpayers are suffering in this town because we have police officers that don’t want to come back to work.”

DiGuiseppe said that while he respects the police, he is looking out for taxpayers, who “can’t afford more taxes in this town.”

Despite the financial troubles, Moors told officials that crime in the borough has dropped and is projected to be lower this year than last.

The ongoing budget uncertainty also is impacted by an ongoing impasse in contract negotiations between the borough and the police union.

Tensions between Peranteau and Moors were evident during the meeting.

Moors stated he “doesn’t have to” meet with the mayor-elect until he takes the oath of office in January, noting Peranteau’s past statements.

“He ran his campaign that he was going to fire the chief. I have dozens of statements from true that he’s going to fire the chief,” Moors said.

Peranteau denied this, citing state borough code that prevents him from firing police officers.

Councilmember Lorraine Cullen claimed Peranteau told her he was going to “take care” of Moors and was running for mayor to get revenge, which he also denied.

“I never told anyone I was going to target [Moors],” Peranteau said.

Peranteau voiced concerns about Moors’ capacity to handle administrative duties and admitted he previously had interest in being hired as police chief for two years after Chief Steve Henry left.

DiGuiseppe defended the chief and claimed Peranteau ran for mayor against DiGuiseppe’s son as retaliation for not being rehired as police chief.

Looking past police spending, borough officials briefly spoke of other financial problems.

With a projected budget shortfall, the borough has left some jobs in other departments unfilled to save costs, DiGuiseppe said.

The borough has remained debt-free since 2022 after having previously dedicated a large chunk of tax revenue to debt service 20 years ago, but it still faces financial struggles.

Bristol Borough Hall. File photo. Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com

“I live off the bottom line. I don’t live off somebody handing me a paycheck every week or saying, here’s a guaranteed pension,” DiGuiseppe said. “They can’t afford more taxes in this town.”

Interest income from investments provides some relief, with the borough projecting $833,000 in interest revenue this year compared to $347,000 in 2022.

The borough has also seen a decrease in building permits due to the town being largely built out.

Further discussion on the budget will be held Monday evening.

Under state law, a budget has to be passed by the end of the year.

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