At left, Oxford County Sheriff Christopher Wainwright addresses a question asked during an information session March 6 regarding restarting the Mexico Police Department versus contracting with the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office. Registered voters are now voting by ballot on police options. Bruce Farrin/Rumford Falls Times

MEXICO — Voters have until April 1 to decide restarting the Mexico Police Department versus contracting with the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office.

Ballots are available at the Town Office. A registered voter can request an absentee ballot to be mailed to them until March 18.

Ballots will be accepted until 6 p.m. April 1, at which time they will counted. Results will be announced at the board meeting that evening.

The police department suspended operations in August 2024 due to lack of officers.

On Feb. 4, a five-person committee was formed to gather information to present to the public. That committee, made up of Kelli Carrier, Jack Gaudet, Jamee Theriault, Donna Weston and Lisa Arsenault, presented their findings at a 50-minute information meeting held March 4 at the Town Hall.

The committee, led by Gaudet, began the meeting before more than 60 citizens with a slide show for people to view information about the options.

• Mexico 24-hour coverage — $974,426…6 p.m. to 6 a.m. One chief, one lieutenant/detective, one road sergeant, three officers.

• Rumford night coverage — $606,528…12-hour coverage, 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., nighttime only…one officer, one detective.

• Oxford County 18-hour coverage — $480,544…18 hour coverage, 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. Three deputy rotations with 6 hours on call.

• Oxford County 24-hour coverage — $630,795…24 hour coverage. Four deputy rotations with 12-hour shifts.

The slide show also conveyed that at a mill rate of $29 per $1000 of valuation, Mexico has the fifth largest tax rate among 484 towns in Maine.

After viewing the options, resident Roland Arsenault said Oxford County is going to provide 24-hour coverage at $650,000 a year. “They supply all the equipment, the guns, the storage areas, the filing, all of that. We don’t have to take care of any of that. All we have to do is pay them an annual contract. A year from now, if we don’t want to go with them anymore, we can go back and revisit this and say, ‘hey, let’s look at something else.'”

He continued, “Right now, this is an inexpensive opportunity for us to evaluate what we’re going to do moving forward. Doesn’t say we have to lock in with them for the next 10, 15 years. But I think this is something we should serious consider.”

Arsenault said, “I don’t see any benefit having our local police department. The past departments did great, but financially it’s not a benefit anymore. So I think it’s better off to go forward full time with Oxford County.”

Jim Theriault, hired as administrative assistant by the town with a mission to look at the feasibility of restarting the police department, said, “I just came here to do a job and Mexico needs six officers. They why they lost the previous five because they didn’t have six and they got wore out.”

He said, “I have two young guys from this area. I have a 57-year-old guy from Quincy, Massachusetts with a family. He wants to move here, and I have a 31-year-old guy from Ontario, Canada. He wants to move here with his family. And I have a guy from Scarborough.”

When asked, he said there were 10 applicants.

Theriault said officers that sign on with Mexico would also receive a $10,000 bonus over five years. “If they don’t stay the five years, they don’t get the whole ten.”

Town Manager Raquel Welch-Day added that the first year would be $4,000, then it goes smaller, then bigger again at year five.

Committee member Jamee Theriault asked, “What would we get if we were to vote for 24-hour coverage?”

Oxford County Sheriff Christopher Wainwright said, “If you guys opted for four deputies, which would be 24-hour coverage, a deputy in town 24 hours a day, it probably would be 12-hour shifts. If you chose for three deputies, then from midnight to 3 a.m., we’d have a deputy on call, and from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m., we’d have a deputy on call but for the 18 hours, there would be somebody here.”

He added that they have four deputies who live in Mexico already.

Wainwright said a contract with Sheriff’s Office would be for one year and renewable every year.

Wainwright acknowledged Arsenault when he said that the Sheriff’s Office would not only supply the four deputies, but if one of them get sick or injured, another will replace that deputy. Also supplied would other deputies as needed, as well as detective services, and mutual aid from neighboring Rumford. All of that would be at no extra cost.

Following the meeting, Wainwright said that with 34 officers, they are currently fully staffed. He said they do not have an issue with providing coverage for Mexico, but would be hesitant taking on any more towns. If the town decides to contract with the county for police coverage, Wainwright said the transition would be incremental as they would need time to hire four more deputies.