FRYEBURG – After only five months on the job, Police Chief Thomas Hoepner is moving on.

Hoepner surprised selectmen Monday by telling them he is leaving “to pursue other employment in the private sector,” Town Manager Phil Covelli said in a prepared statement.

Covelli offered no other details and could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Hoepner, who replaced David Miles, will stay until Oct. 1, after which Sgt. Wayne Brooking will take over as acting chief of police.

Selectman Allan Trumball said Hoepner had become well respected in town as the chief, and was unaware of any problems in the department.

Hoepner is a former Lincoln County deputy.

“I thought he was a really nice man,” Trumball said.

Trumball said selectmen are not going to advertise the job until after the Nov. 2 referendum on capping property taxes. Question 1 would limit taxes to $10 per $1,000 of assessed property valuation, based on values in 1996-1997.

“We have no idea where we’re headed (if the tax cap passes) and we certainly don’t want to make any commitments to anyone that we can’t keep,” Trumball said. He said the town’s normal complement of police officers is five, including the chief. Staying at four officers for now, with Brooking in charge, is the conservative thing to do, he said.

“If (Question 1) passes, municipal government is doomed in the state of Maine.”