RUMFORD – Pending annual town meeting voter approval on Tuesday, June 9, the town may soon be without both a police and fire chief.

Instead, it would have a public safety director charged with overseeing both departments simultaneously.

He or she would be paid $72,000 annually, a savings of $35,000 to $40,000.

At Monday night’s annual town meeting, Selectman Robert Cameron said the board decided to create the position to save money.

Due to his previously cited administrative skills, police Chief Stacy Carter has served as both police chief and interim public safety officer for the past month after being appointed to the new position by Town Manager Len Greaney and selectmen.

“I think this change is an excellent and important opportunity not only to save money, but also to become more efficient and effective,” Greaney said.

However, part-time fire Chief Gary Wentzell – also the full-time fire chief in Mexico – objected to the No. 2 amendment proposed under Article 43.

He said he views the proposal as a further attempt to downsize the Fire Department, which last year was reduced from a four-person shift to a three-person shift.

Wentzell also asked residents who will view taped coverage of the meeting on the local access television channel, to vote it down.

“You still need a fire chief,” he said. “Somebody has to be responsible and take it when the (expletive) hits the fan.”

“This has been tried in 12 or 13 towns and, it’s failed in 9 or 10 towns,” he added.

Resident Kevin Saisi echoed Wentzell’s comments, saying he didn’t believe police Chief Stacy Carter had firefighter or fire department training.

Carlo Puiia, who will be appointed town manager after annual town meeting balloting on Tuesday, June 9, ends, asked Greaney if the position is created, will the job be posted.

“I would assume that’s correct,” Greaney said.

The amendment states that chiefs for each department or a public safety officer overseeing both departments will be chosen by the town manager with selectmen approval.

“It gives the town flexibility,” Puiia said of the proposal Tuesday morning.

Should the measure be OK’d, Puiia said he wouldn’t automatically hire a public safety officer. Instead, he intends to poll selectmen to determine how best to proceed based on public response to the change and the voting margin.

In other town meeting warrant article discussions from Monday night, Greaney asked voters to approve the Finance Committee recommendation of $790,309 for general government in Article 6 instead of the selectmen recommendation of $795,708.

The committee, Greaney said, budgeted his requested $50,000 for economic development; selectmen cut it to $25,000. He said the additional amount is needed to pursue strong economic development to grow the tax base.

Under the police department budget in Article 8, Chief Carter asked residents to choose the committee’s recommendation of $814,230 instead of the selectmen’s choice of $803,430.

Explaining, Carter said he needs the extra money to cover overtime costs associated with upcoming vacancies being created by officers called up for military duty this summer.

For the Fire Department budget in Article 9, Carter asked that voters OK the selectmen recommendation of $700,000 and not the committee’s choice of $675,000.

“We haven’t been doing the job I’d expect the Fire Department to do to save money, but I look at the Fire Department as life insurance,” Carter said. “If we keep reducing funding for the Fire Department, we will not have that insurance.”