Municipalities have always faced fiscal challenges; Holden has not escaped that trend throughout the decades. The budget figures below were taken from Annual Reports where available. Note the lack of money during the Great Depression and World War II.
     
Click on a decade to see the budget for those years. While you're there, click "What
was this decade like?" to see Kingwood College Library's fun decade overviews.
                         
         
 
 
   
1918 through 1920s
                       
1918
1919
1920
1921
1922
1923
1924
1925
1926
1927
1928
1929
$300
Budget data not available for 1919 - 1929
   
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1918
 "$28 for 4th of July duty, $7 to print police blotter"  
   
1920
 "In the budget for 1920 the members of the department request that appropriation be made towards equipping the force in some way so they will feel fully protected in doing their work for the public safety."  
   
1921
 "In making their appropriation for the department for 1921, the voters are asked to consider the advisibility [sic] of making a larger appropriation so that the department may adopt some system of traffic regulation."  
   
 
   
 
1930s
                     
1930
1931
1932
1933
1934
1935
1936
1937
1938
1939
$
450
400
250
300
300
350
500
500
500
750
  
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1930
"Old Bills (1929): $150   Expenses (1930): $300"
   
1931
 "This year we had two men in uniform, and even though they were not on duty at all times, one or both were always available."  
   
1934
 "We found ourselves in a troublesome position this year because of lack of equipment and available men, but feel that under the circumstances that we worked for the best results. We know that we have not done traffic duty as often as we should have but our appropriation has been very small."  
   
1936
"We are very short of equipment, but by being able to borrow from the Electric Light Department and the Fire Department, we have managed to get along."
 
   
1937
 "The State Police....answered a number of calls relayed to them after our funds were gone."  
     
                     
                       
                     
1940s
 
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948
1949
$
750
900
1,200
1,000
1,000
not available
3,500
4,000
3,850
  
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1943
 "...this decrease is due to the fact that there is no new construction of any kind in any of the departments, due to war conditions and regulations, and also the cooperation of the several Departments and Boards in reducing their 1943 budgets to a minimum."  
     
1946
 "...this increase is due to the ending of the war and the resumption of normal departmental activities.....This proposed budget will cause a substantial increase in the tax rate for 1946 "  
     
1948
 Police Department Inventory: 1 Set General Laws; 1 Sterling Siren, 6 volt; 8 Wheat spotlights, model 158; 8 wire stands for same; 8 mounting brackets for same; 8 brown shoulder straps for same; 7 Trafolites; 8 Scotchlite traffic belts; 1 Badge, Chief; 8 Badges, No. 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8; 12 Revolvers; 10 pr. handcuffs; 8 each of blue shirts, black ties, pair blue pants, blue coats, blue overcoats, blue caps, cap insignias; 9 Sam Brown belts and holsters; 2 blackjacks; 6 short clubs; 8 cartridge holders; 9 handcuff cases; 8 whistles; 1 Pyrene, 1 1/2 quart size; 3 flares and holders.  
     
                     
                       
                     
1950s
 
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
$
n/a
6,525
n/a
10,185
15,589
14,475
17,102
23,937
24,900
29,400
  
 
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1953
 "There are at present 9 part-time patrolmen and one police chief. In addition 12 special police officers are appointed each year in connection with their duties in particular buildings, at particular locations, or in certain town departments."  
     
 
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  The table below shows the "miles travelled and hours labored by the men of this department in the conduct of their work", as reported by the Chief of Police. (Compare this to the budget figures.....gas was a little cheaper then).  
     
 
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
20,285
21,967
n/a
38,434
63,005
61,878
68,172
4,447.5
5,388.5
n/a
7,049
8,235
9,675
11,241
 
Miles
Hours
                       
                     
                       
                     
1960s
                     
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
  
$
33,700
34,000
34,900
35,700
36,661
45,146
53,820
65,609
83,343
119,996
  
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  
     
1966
 "The Town's share of fines turned over to the Treasurer by the County from persons brought to trial by Holden Officers amounted to $550.00."  
     
1968
 "The Holden Police Department is composed of one full time Chief, five full time patrolmen, nine part time patrolmen, two full time clerk-dispatchers, three part time dispatchers and seven school crossing guards." (Total salaries for the year were $69,456.12).  
     
                     
                       
                     
1970s
                     
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
  
$
139,900
161,587
192,916
206,811
236,324
250,565
281,120
319,771
329,783
386,321
  
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  
                       
1972
 "Included in my Budget for 1972 is the request to augment the present personnel of the force by three (3) additional patrolmen. I know that this represents a substantially increased financial commitment; however, this need is indicated by an ever-increasing rate of serious crime and other non-criminal problems in our town."  (ed.note: This request was denied; 2 men were requested in 1973 - also denied; 3 men requested in 1974 - 1 man approved .)  
                       
1975
 "A recent independent survey conducted by the federally funded Massachusetts Police Institute recommends that Holden's Police staff should be doubled. We have since added one man. Three more have been requested for the coming fiscal year."  
                       
                     
                       
                     
1980s
                     
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
  
$
442,255
404,619
404,619
443,895
464,774
567,427
604,238
708,232
605,451
709,282
  
 
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1985
 "...we find that our response times to the same types of crimes have risen between 2 and 6 minutes, depending on the severity of the crime. To combat this trend, the Department has requested the addition of one patrolman's position in 1986, in an effort to reduce response times and to increase police visibility."
(ed.note: This request was approved.) 		 
     
1988
 "Service calls up 103%."  
     
                     
                       
                     
1990s
                     
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
  
$
732,807
800,108
805,210
841,747
849,319
938,895
1,046,606
1,097,986
1,175,505
1,221,221
  
 
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1991
 "Service calls requiring response average approximately 12 per day ranging from accidents to warrants served."  
                       
91/92
 The Town of Holden begins budgeting in fiscal years (July 1 - June 30) instead of calendar years.  
     
1994
 "...additional hiring now enables us to insure [sic] an adequate staffing level for all shifts and eliminates the possibility of having a single police officer on patrol." (ed. note: This new priority was in response to the line-of-duty death of Paxton Police Chief Robert J. Mortell on February 1, 1994.)  
                       
         
           
 
 
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