WILTON — Wilton residents will have a chance April 1 to weigh in on possible changes to police services as town officials review options for collaborating with the town of Jay.

The meeting, to be held tentatively at Academy Hill School if the space is available, is intended to provide residents with information about several options for how the two towns could share police services. The meeting may include a nonbinding straw poll to gauge public opinion.

The discussion follows a Feb. 23 vote by the Jay Select Board asking Wilton to consider contracting with Jay to provide police coverage for both towns while the communities explore the possible creation of a joint policing entity.

Jay Town Manager Shiloh LaFreniere said the vote followed a presentation by the Wilton-Jay Police Collaboration Committee, which had outlined several options for how the towns could move forward.

The vote followed months of work by the Wilton-Jay Police Collaboration Committee, which studied whether the two towns could improve coverage, staffing or costs by working together. The committee outlined four possible options, including keeping both departments separate, contracting with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, having one town provide services for the other, or eventually creating a jointly run department serving both communities.

LaFreniere said Jay selectpersons expressed interest in exploring two of those possibilities, a contract arrangement between the towns and the creation of a quasi-municipal policing entity, and asked the Wilton Select Board whether they would also consider those options moving forward.

Wilton Select Board Chair David Leavitt said he believes the question should first be discussed with Wilton residents.

He said he respects the Jay Select Board’s expedience, but for him, being part of the committee in the first place, it was always about bringing it forward to the citizens of Wilton before any decision was made.

Leavitt said the Wilton board had expected both towns to seek input from residents before either select board made a decision about the proposals.

During the discussion, Selectperson Nancy Allen asked how a shared police department might affect response times.

Wilton Police Chief Ethan Kyes said response times would likely remain similar, noting that plans discussed by the committee would still include officers patrolling in each town.

Allen also asked where the department’s most critical coverage areas are.

Kyes said the department has not conducted a formal study of call locations, but many calls occur near the police station on Main Street. He added that crashes frequently occur along Route 2.

Allen later asked whether the department needs a detective and how that position would affect the department’s case clearance rate, which she said is about 55%.

Kyes said some investigations require more time than patrol officers can devote while responding to calls. He said officers often move from call to call, leaving little time for follow-up investigations. He said he hopes adding a detective could improve the department’s case rate.

Asked about supervisory positions, Kyes said turnover has been a challenge for the department, with many officers having less than three years of experience. He said departments often see officers become more confident and independent after about five years on the job, which can reduce the need for supervision.

Kyes said the department has also lost officers to other law enforcement agencies, contributing to staffing challenges.

Under the committee’s concept for a jointly run department, staffing could include a chief, deputy chief, lieutenant and two sergeants, along with a sergeant assigned to the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency. The proposal also includes a school resource officer, a corporal primarily assigned to patrol duties and a detective, along with eight patrol officers.

If both towns ultimately agree on a path forward, officials said a committee could be created to work out the details of how the partnership would operate.

The collaboration committee was formed to study whether the two towns could improve staffing, coverage or cost efficiency by working together on policing. Its role is advisory, with final decisions resting with the select boards.

LaFreniere said any change to policing arrangements would ultimately require approval from residents in both communities.