RUMFORD — Rumford and Mexico selectmen have scheduled a special joint meeting for an executive session to review police department union contracts.
The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 2, in Rumford Falls Auditorium. Both boards have been debating whether to merge police departments, but wages remain a contentious point.
During previous meetings, some Mexico selectmen said if the departments merge they would not support a budget that involved using Rumford’s wages.
There are 13 union members in Rumford and Mexico, according to Rumford officer Brad Gallant, president of the Rumford Police Association union. Sgt. Tracey Higley is the Rumford union vice president.
Officers Dan Carrier and Josh Aylward represent the Mexico police union.
If the departments merge, they would serve a combined population of 8,500, Gallant said at a previous joint meeting this month.
Gallant said Wednesday afternoon via Facebook that Monday night’s meeting is for selectmen, not police union officials. He said both boards are supposed to determine what they are going to ask of the unions, and then select four board representatives to meet with both unions rather than all 10 selectmen.
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