A s cities and town boards make final adjustments on their budgets for the coming year, they deserve credit for facing hard issues in a difficult year. Important services are being cut, and councilors and selectmen are hearing many arguments why important programs and services should not be cut.

The Town Council in Old Orchard Beach, for instance, is being urged not to accept the town manager’s recommendation to reduce the budget for summer reserve officers.

These temporary officers, recognizable in yellow polo shirts, do a good job of keeping things orderly during the hubbub of high summer. Managing the crowds on the streets  and the beach takes experience and manpower, and not all communities manage to do it well.

Town Manager Jack Turcotte, directed to keep the budget lean, proposed cutting the $193,000 budget for part-time staff by about 20 percent. Much of this budget pays for 35-40 summer officers who earn an average of $11.50 an hour. Once trained, they work regular shifts on cruiser, bicycle or foot patrol.

Police chief Dana Kelley said the cut raises the possibility that the beach won’t be adequately patrolled, particularly in late summer when the part-time force inevitably thins out. Residents raised concerns about security for summer events and the possibility that rowdy  behavior might increase.

The arguments in favor of maintaining a strong police presence seem persuasive. The beach and associated commercial district is the town’s primary economic resource and it needs proper management to remain so. The Chamber of Commerce, business owners and entrepreneurs invest heavily in the area in the expectation that the high-spirited throngs will remain orderly. This year’s reopening of The Ballpark achieves a widely endorsed goal, yet it raises the likelihood that the town’s security needs may be somewhat greater than before.

Although the town’s practice is to hire a temporary corps of summer police officers, the long-term stability of the arrangement probably depends to some extent on regular funding, to ensure some staff carryover from one year to the next.

As one resident observed recently, Old Orchard  Beach is not a small town from July until September. We realize councilors are under pressure to keep the budget in line, but we hope they can find another way to save $39,000, and keep plenty of police on the beat this summer.

— Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Nick Cowenhoven at nickc@journaltribune.com.