Paris board revisits contracting Sheriff

PARIS —   The Paris Board of Selectmen intend to take another look at contracting with Oxford County Sheriff's Office for police services.

During its meeting Monday, the board authorized two selectmen and Town Manager Amy Bernard to research the OCSO option for police coverage.

Selectman Robert Wessels, who requested the agenda item, said he wanted to research all the possible options for police protection.

Contracting with OCSO has been suggested multiple times in board meetings by budget committee member Rick Little.

Last year, during a debate over merging Paris and Norway Police Departments, then Town Manager Phil Tarr received a proposal from OCSO but told the board members it would cost more than the current department.

Now, with Paris facing cash flow issues and with a distinct possibility of tax increases or service cuts in the next budget, Wessels argued the town should revisit the idea as well as reconsider the merger.

The town should keep all options on the table, he said.

"What are we going to do with our police department?" Wessels asked.

"They're in limbo and there's been a lot of question marks over the last year. Let's take away those question marks."

Wessels said that a first step should be researching the OCSO option.

Vice Chair Bob Kirchherr suggested last year's proposal from OCSO might be dated, considering the changes that had taken place at Paris PD.

There might be substantial savings from an OCSO contract, Kirhherr said, although the town would need a firm proposal to see if that were true.

"At least, it needs to be re-examined and evaluated," Kirchherr said. "With all the other budget issues we're dealing with, all available options need to be kept on the table."

Selectman Gerald Kilgore opposed pursuing OCSO services at this point.

Paris PD has been operating smoothly since interim Chief Mike Dailey took the reigns in November, Kilgore noted, warning against disrupting progress at the department.

"Let's not make waves," Kilgore said.

His sentiments were echoed by Paris PD Sergeant Skip Mowatt, who asked the board to make a decision once and for all.

Mowatt noted the department was doing well with a number of new officers and a new interim chief, but discussing options for service was counter-productive.

"Every time we turn around, our morale gets knocked at the knees again," Mowatt told the board.

Paris officers would need to reapply to OCSO if the town chose that service, Mowatt said – in all likelihood that would put him out of a job.

During the meeting, Mowatt noted the PD was entering contract negotiations and would be helpful to know "if we're going to be a police department or if we're all going to be working for the Sheriff's Office."

Although training new officers would cost money, Mowatt said the department's budget had remained relatively flat in past years.

He asked the board to "call it quits" after this round of discussing police options.

"If we're going to keep the department, let us start building it back up," he said.

Board members also discussed reconsidering the Norway-Paris joint force proposal, that was defeated by Paris voters in August.

Reports suggest Norway is no longer interested in pursuing the idea, but Kirchherr asked if the board could get a formal denial from Norway.

The board voted four to one, with Kilgore in opposition, to authorize two selectmen –  Kirchherr and Wessels – and the town manager to research the OCSO option.