PARIS – The town and SAD 17 will need to start footing the entire bill for a school resource officer if the program is to continue.

For the past three years a federal grant has paid for all but 25 percent of the $35,000 in annual costs for the police officer to work full time helping with discipline at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School and Oxford Hills Middle School.

The school district paid 25 percent of costs for nine months, and the town paid 25 percent of costs for three months, representing the summer months when the officer would return to active patrol duty for the town of Paris.

The first officer was Ray Parr. Paris Sgt. Skip Mowatt took over the post last September, until he was called to serve several months in the National Guard.

At Monday’s selectmen’s meeting, Town Manager Steve McAllister said he and Paris Police Chief David Verrier plan to meet soon with SAD 17 officials on the language for a new agreement. The current agreement expires June 30.

Voters are expected at the June 21 town meeting to be asked if they want to pick up 100 percent of the officer’s costs for three months of each year of the contract, McAllister said. The agreement would run for four years beginning July 1 of this year.

School officials say the presence of the officer helps to deter discipline problems among students. The officer, who works with the assistant principal, also helps students with behavior problems by befriending them.

Also at Monday’s meeting, McAllister reported that the town had received a bond rating of A-minus from the state, which is used in determining interest rates when money is borrowed.

“I was hoping for better, but we have to understand we’re a small community” in terms of population, McAllister said. The review found that Paris government rated strongly when it came to management and finances, he added.

Selectmen also tabled action on a recommendation for an $788 abatement on taxes for land that was assessed at full value when it was in fact in tree growth.

Selectman Bruce Hanson pointed out that the abatement might not be necessary if the owner did not have a written tree growth management plan in place as required under state law.

Selectmen also decided to offer a 1985 dump truck to the next highest bidder after Selectman Gerald Kilgore, the high bidder, decided he didn’t want the truck after all. The board agreed to offer the truck to bidder Robert Lolley for $1,661.

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