Selectmen awarded a $12,889 contract to ShelterLogic for a salt and sand shed and accepted Ray Villanova's $4,875 bid to repair a hole and rotten wood at the Woodbury Public Library building.

The board accepted a $5,750 bid by CNR Services for the planting and transplanting of trees and two additional bids by CNR Services: $5,650 for tree maintenance and $1,400 for tree pruning.

Resident Trooper Sgt. Robert Desmarais of the Police Department and Park and Recreation Director Jenifer Miller discussed their budget needs at the joint meeting.

The boards are in the process of collecting budget requests from department heads for the 2009-10 budget.

First Selectman Paul Hinckley has charged each department head with the task of reducing his or her department's budget by 10 percent from this year's budget figure. Sgt. Desmarais said he cut more than 10 percent.

Sgt. Desmarais discussed the resident trooper program with the boards and said that right now, the state pays 30 percent of the cost for a resident trooper, while the town pays 70 percent.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell has proposed that towns pay 85 percent of the costs for a resident trooper for the first fiscal year and all of it the second fiscal year.

Sgt. Desmarais said the department has one other resident trooper. The benefit of a resident trooper as part of the police unit is that the department does not have to pay overtime to the staff officers as often, he said.

If Gov. Rell's proposal goes through, Sgt. Desmarais said the department might have to think about sending the resident trooper back to the barracks and hiring a police officer.

Sgt. Desmarais said he thinks the department can handle the cuts for one year, but cannot continue at that reduced rate over time. He cited low morale as a result of a significantly reduced budget.

"Can I go one year without buying anything new?" said Sgt. Desmarais. "Yes. It's not going to be pretty, but I can do it."

He said if he had to go two years without anything new, radio equipment and other communication devices might suffer.

"This budget is hard," said Sgt. Desmarais. "I think the cops in Woodbury do more with less."

Ms. Miller said she reduced the Parks and Recreation Department's budget 10 percent below this year's budget.

The Police and Park and Recreation Departments' budgets discussed at the joint meeting did not include wages and salaries.

The next Board of Selectmen meeting will take place at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 26, at the Annex Conference Room, 297 Main St. South.