FARMINGTON – Jay’s police chief updated county commissioners Tuesday on the ongoing exploration of Franklin County Sheriff’s Department handling emergency dispatch services for Jay.

“We’re looking, like everybody else, to cut the budget and save money,” Jay police Chief Larry White Sr. said.

White said that an opinion survey recently conducted in the town showed that those who responded would like to see dispatch services provided by the county.

Commission Chairman Fred Hardy said his concern basically was where the money would come from in the county, not that that was White’s concern.

“I’m all in favor to do something to put dispatch together,” Hardy said.

Sheriff Dennis Pike said the poll was the first step in a progression of events.

It still has to go to a hearing before Jay residents and a possible special town meeting vote.

By statute the county has to provide dispatch services to Jay, Pike said, if that’s what the townspeople want.

Pike said a new county communications center is urgently needed for space and security reasons, even if Jay wasn’t considering having the county provide the service.

County dispatchers will be picking up all of the 911 calls in Franklin County from wireless phones that are now answered by state police dispatchers, in the near future and an additional 5,000 request-for-service calls from Jay, with about 900 of them 911 calls.

Hardy asked what the time frame would be, if Jay decides to make the move.

White said selectmen have made no decisions yet, but in reality it could be three to five months to have it done before April.

Pike said he has been looking at contingency plans and one possibility would be to lease space off site. Another possibility is getting a portable classroom on site.

No question about it, Pike said, they would have to have temporary quarters.

Commissioner Gary McGrane asked if there had been any discussion on using Jay’s dispatch area as a satellite office until the “bricks and mortar” could be straightened out.

“We have not discussed it,” White said.

They plan to keep the equipment and base in Jay at the police station as is, he said. They’ll also keep an office manager to take business calls and do all of the reports for insurance, accidents and such, White said.

“The plan is not to disband it. It’s there and its functioning. It would be fruitless to tear it all down.”

The two agencies were already working together to have Jay back up Franklin County dispatch and Franklin County back up Jay, if ever needed, Pike said, prior to Jay’s survey.

The county dispatch would still be compromised, Pike said, due to the influx of cell phone 911 calls expected.