With the passage of a $1.8 million Proposition 2 ½ override on June 15, the town’s police and fire departments will be able to fund additional staffing for fiscal 2027.

“To everyone who supported this effort, thank you for the trust you have placed in the recommendations of our public safety leaders and in those who serve this town every day,” according to a Facebook post from Norwood Firefighters Local 1631. “That trust is something we will never take for granted,” 

 For the NFD, the added funding will allow an increase in shift staffing from 15 to 18; for the second engine, E5, the staffing would increase from two firefighters and one lieutenant, to three firefighters. An additional firefighter would be used to meet the requirements of a second paramedic on priority calls, according to documents provided by the department.

The increase in staffing will help the department better comply with standards set by the National Fire Protection Association.

“The process [to increase staffing] has started. and we hope to fill the positions as soon as possible,” Norwood Fire Chief Timothy F. Bailey Jr. said.

For the Police Department, the approved override will help add five officers:

One detective added as a full-time task force officer (Drug Enforcement Agency)

Three street-level supervisors – sergeants. This will provide two supervisors per shift to ensure proper supervision for all shifts.

One patrol officer added to the midnight shift. In conjunction with the supervisor above, this will also bring midnight staffing back to seven.

According to documents provided by the NPD to the town’s Finance Commission, these additions will help alleviate a staffing shortage that’s lasted for the past several years. The department currently staffs 65 officers. Beyond fiscal 2027, the department hopes to add a traffic officer, two patrol officers, and a community support officer.

“We will begin moving toward these changes, but hiring and promotions follow a procedure and are not done instantaneously,” Officer Andrew Jurewich, the NPD’s communications officer, of the successful override.

For an average single-family home assessed at $719,477, the override adds approximately $115.12 to the annual tax bill. The increase will not appear in the quarterly tax bills until early 2027.