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North Brentwood's proposed fiscal 2010 budget includes reallocating previously unused money allocated for police patrols to pay for a public works manager.

The $361,025 budget would also keep the town's real property tax rate at 34.7 cents per every $100 of assessed value, bringing in an estimated $167,500 in revenue.

Town Manager Maryanne Anthony said during a Monday public hearing that the town didn't use $35,000 this fiscal year that was earmarked for part-time police patrols from neighboring municipal police forces.

North Brentwood, which lacks a police force, paid for Cottage City police patrols for two years with a $90,000 Livable Communities grant. The patrols stopped this fiscal year when the county grant, meant for improving community life, ran out.

Anthony said the town didn't re-apply for the grant because Cottage City didn't want to continue the partnership with the town. She said the town now has sufficient police coverage after the Prince George's County Police's District 1 command and U.S. Park Police increased patrols of the town this fiscal year.

"We're fortunate with all of the relationships we've built with them," Anthony said.

The fiscal 2010 budget proposal would use $26,000 of the $35,000 originally earmarked for policing to pay for a part-time public works manager who would oversee the street cleaning crew, grant applications and construction projects.

"We feel the town is to the point in its growth that we feel we need some oversight of these projects," Anthony said. "We want to make sure the projects happen."

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, North Brentwood had 469 residents.

Robinson said many town projects, like a $100,000 Community Development Block Grant application for repairs on 41st Avenue, are completed by elected officials and town staff who have other primary responsibilities. She pushed for better oversight of construction and grant applications in order to meet deadlines.

"Some things are rush, rush, rush, and we need someone here who knows how to do things and has their hands on the pulse," she said.

The proposed budget also allocates $13,000 to buy a late model truck and a car port to house it in. It would replace a 16-year-old truck.

"We're going to be lucky to get it through even this year," Anthony said of the old truck.

Another $6,284 would be used to pay for a code enforcement officer working 40 hours a month and $4,000 to purchase equipment to place town announcements on Verizon and Comcast cable stations.

The council may vote on the proposed budget after the next public hearing at 7:30 p.m. June 15 at the North Brentwood Municipal Center at 4009 Wallace Road.

E-mail Elahe Izadi at eizadi@gazette.net.