PARIS – Bethel Town Manager Scott Cole has proposed doing away with the eight town police departments in Oxford County and having the Sheriff’s Office take over.

“It puts all your problems and benefits in one basket,” said Cole, speaking Tuesday at the county commissioners’ monthly meeting.

Cole argued that under the current system, the eight towns with departments pay about $1.2 million toward the Sheriff’s Office, make up 45 percent of the county’s value and pay a proportionate amount for coverage from the Sheriff’s Office.

Cole said this allows the 28 towns, townships, and plantations in the county that rely on the Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement to receive police protection at a discounted rate. He also argued that these towns receive help from neighboring police departments, a service which cannot be reciprocated like mutual aid in fire departments.

According to a spreadsheet prepared by Cole, Rumford, the county’s highest valued town, pays a tax rate of $1.64 per $1,000 for its police department, which consists of 15 full-time officers. Lovell, the next highest-valued town, does not have a police department and pays 22 cents per $1,000 for coverage from the Sheriff’s Office.

Cole proposed a revised distribution that would have towns without police departments paying 90 percent of the Sheriff’s Office costs, while towns with local police would pay 10 percent.

Commissioner David Duguay of Byron said the idea had merit, but disagreed with the 90-10 split, saying it would give an incentive to smaller towns to start local police departments.

“We can’t force this down the towns’ throats,” he said. “We need the towns to be supportive of it.”

Cole agreed that the proposal would not get off the ground without support of the towns without local police.

“The proposal doesn’t go anywhere without the support of the smaller towns,” he said.

Under the proposal, towns could also elect to dissolve their local police departments in favor of coverage from the Sheriff’s Office. Cole said this would work toward a consolidated tax rate. This would decrease the tax rate from its current level for towns with police departments and increase it for those without.

“The reality of it is there’s a tax shift if you go toward consolidation,” Cole said Thursday.

Funds from the dissolved stations would go toward the Sheriff’s Office, potentially tripling or quadrupling its budget, Cole said.

He argued that a reduction in local police and expansion of the Sheriff’s Office could offer better opportunities for advancement among police officers. He said the plan would allow local police to become deputies and would not affect employment.

However, he said the proposal could also increase efficiency by cutting down on the number of police chiefs being paid in the county.

“I suspect the chiefs are naturally opposed to this because in the long run it puts them out of the job,” he said.

Chief David Verrier of the Paris Police Department said that while the proposal would allow for more efficiency under a single department, the department would still have to cover the same area and may even have to expand beyond current levels.

“I don’t think you’re going to find that there are any added savings,” he said.

Verrier added that local police departments also utilize county services such as the Regional Communications Center and the Oxford County Jail.

Sheriff Wayne Gallant said he had not reviewed the plan and was unable to comment.

Cole said the large size of the county would necessitate substations for the Sheriff’s Office, likely at the sites of the current local police departments. He said the plan would be long-term, however, and the most efficient zones to improve response times to the towns would be determined over time.

Commissioner Steven Merrill of Norway said Thursday that any changes could probably be implemented on a county level without input from the state.

“I think there could be some definite advantages there,” he said of the plan.

Cole said he has proposed the plan before, but seen it opposed by towns whose tax rates would increase. He estimated that it has a less-than-50-percent chance of success.

“Just because something is not popular doesn’t mean it’s not a good idea,” he said. “That’s why I’d like to see some conversation at least over the next several months.”