PARIS — At their meeting Monday night, selectmen briefly went over a new proposal from Sheriff Wayne Gallant for policing in town and decided they had more questions that need answering.

After many residents in Paris have called for tax relief, selectmen and town administration are looking to cut $500,000 from the budget, which includes examining options for police coverage.

Selectman Vic Hodgkins shared the sheriff’s proposal, which includes three deputies assigned to the town and detective duties to be picked up by the county’s detectives.

“It is very much a mirror of the Bethel contract,” Hodgkins said, as that town currently contracts with the sheriff’s office. He added there’s slightly different numbers in the Paris proposal.

For the first year of the sheriff’s contract, it’s estimated to cost $343,800 and $298,500 for year two. Hodgkins noted these numbers are not concrete and need to be fined tuned.

He wanted Interim Town Manager Sawin Millett to lay out all of the costs to run the Paris Police Department, including its operational budget, capital expenses and insurance. He also wanted to Millett to do a inventory of the police department’s vehicles and find out if the sheriff’s office would take on any of them as part of a contract.

“So when we talk numbers we will be able to have a better comparison to take a look at it to see if it’s worth it or not from a financial perspective [to contract with the sheriff],” Hodgkins said.

Selectmen Chairman Mike Risica agreed.

“I think we need to have some side-by-side comparison and let the people decide,” he said.

Selectman Robert Wessels noted there was a 10 percent increase included, which brought the tentative amounts to $378,180 and $328,350 for years one and two, respectively. He wanted to know how frequent the increases are and what role Bethel played in this.

“If it’s just the sheriff saying, ‘Hey 10 percent increase, here you go,’ and Bethel didn’t have any say in it, I don’t want to farm out any ability to have any say [in] what this will look like in a few years,” Wessels said. “What did it look like from their perspective because to me that is a telling sign what it will look like for years down the road. It is also telling that they are reupping but I want to get some of those answers.”

He asked Millett if he would have a conversation with Bethel administration  to get additional details about the 10 percent increase. Millett agreed.

Hodgkins said the sheriff would be out of the office for several weeks and getting answers could be difficult, but Chief Deputy Hart Dailey is willing to help. Hodgkins suggested possibly postponing making a decision on policing in Paris until November, instead of the June town meeting.

Selectman Sam Elliot disagreed.

“I am not for putting this off until November,” he said. “We either decide this or we don’t.”

Millett told selectmen he planned to spend two hours Tuesday, Feb. 23, with Interim Police Chief Jeff Lange to over his budget line by line to look at cost savings.

During open session, Teresa Glick said she was disappointed in the meetings leading up to Monday’s and the town has a great police department.

“I feel like in 2013 the town spoke and the issue should have been laid to rest on whether or not we wanted the sheriff’s department,” she said about the last time the issue was voted on. “It is not just a department we are talking about getting rid of. It’s also getting rid of people who are passionate about their jobs.”

Katherine Mitchell also spoke and said she voted for keeping the police department last time around.

“I remember 2013 being very emotional,” she said.

She told people who are considering “switching sides” regarding the sheriff’s department coverage should know it’s OK to not agree with emotional pleas for keeping the police department.

Lange and Millett will present their proposal to the budget committee at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 9, at the town office, 33 Market Square.

[email protected]