The Pittsfield Police Department responds to very few incidents involving alleged undocumented immigrants. Chief Joe Collins estimated it was about 10 instances annually.

Still, the department is on its way to receiving $145,000 from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security because of an ongoing agreement with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, after the board of selectmen unanimously voted to accept the grant at its Oct. 13 meeting.

The vote came five months after the town’s police department became the first agency in Merrimack County to enter into an agreement that formally delegates immigration enforcement duties to local officers. More than 20 other New Hampshire law enforcement agencies also cooperate with ICE.

These contracts, referred to as 287(g) agreements, vest state and local law enforcement with the power to carry out the responsibilities of a federal immigration officer in certain instances. In Pittsfield, this means local police are authorized to interrogate, detain and arrest those suspected of being in the country illegally.

As an ongoing federal immigration crackdown makes headlines across the country, Granite Staters have mobilized against these cooperative agreements. But in Pittsfield, a town of just over 4,000 people, controlling illegal immigration was less relevant than relieving taxes for its residents.

During the meeting’s public hearing on whether to accept the money, neither of the two residents who addressed the board mentioned immigration.

“Is there a plan to use this windfall to reduce the taxpayer requirements?” resident William Rupp asked.

About $100,000 of the funds would be used to purchase a new police cruiser when an older one is no longer operable, according to town finance manager Cara Marston. The other $45,000 is earmarked for “specific equipment,” which may include body cameras or radars. Collins must return to the board with a concrete proposal on how exactly to spend the remainder. No time constraints are placed on when the money must be spent.

“It does offer our taxpayers an opportunity to make new purchases or provide maintenance without having to dip into taxes, so it’s a pretty decent deal,” said board chair Jim Allard.

The $145,000 sum is the first installment of the grant program, with more money on the way. At a May 26 board meeting, Collins said annual federal contributions could total $400,000. He estimated on Tuesday that the police department’s capital reserve fund is hovering around $1,200; it should have about $90,000, he said.

A citizen petition circulating across the state says, “We oppose our local police being used to seize and incarcerate neighbors in the name of immigration enforcement.”

The political and social weight of these agreements was overshadowed by the promise of funding in a cash-strapped community.

“From a PR perspective, could you quantify the avoidance piece of this — ‘We may not have saved the taxpayer anything, but we’ve avoided costs’ — and share that with the public in a deliberate manner?” Rupp asked at the meeting. “That would go a long way to building trust and people recognizing this is a good thing for the town, not just a windfall for the police department.”

According to Allard, “It’s a pretty good deal for a small town like ours.”