MEXICO — The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday will continue discussing a request for the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office to give a cost analysis for 24-hour coverage
The board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Oct. 28 in the Calvin P. Lyons room at Town Hall.
Mexico and Rumford selectmen met Oct. 15 to discuss the best ways to consolidate services. Mexico Selectman Albert Aniel said he believed the first thing the towns should look at is the police departments.
“I only see two possible solutions when looking at our police departments,” Aniel said. “We could either wait and see what the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office says about covering both of our towns, or the Rumford Police Department could disband and Mexico hires eight officers from Rumford, which would give us a 12-man police force between each town.”
Chairman Richie Philbrick suggested Madigan contact Sheriff Wayne Gallant to ask him to meet with both boards and both police chiefs.
Also Tuesday, selectmen will discuss the duties of the Planning Board and how they should be defined.
The issue was brought to light after fire Chief Gary Wentzell asked Selectman Reggie Arsenault, who is also a Planning Board member, whether the Planning Board had discussed the possibility of amending the town’s referendum town meeting ordinance to split the Public Safety budget into separate Police and Fire Department budgets.
Arsenault said he and the other Planning Board members agreed that it “wasn’t our job to do that. We felt it was up to the selectmen and the town manager to make a decision with something like that.”
Selectmen agreed at their Oct. 14 meeting to look into what a Planning Board is traditionally asked to do.
Among the other items on the agenda for the Board of Selectmen include the following:
* Review of lighting proposals from Waugh’s Electric.
* Sign amended toll road policy.
* Discussion on resignation of appointee serving on both the Planning Board and the Board of Appeals.
* Appoint election warden.
There will also be two executive sessions following the meeting that will deal with a poverty abatement and police union negotiations.
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