PARIS – All things are not equal when it comes to paying for Oxford County police, jail and dispatch services, according to a presentation by Chief Deputy Jim Davis.

Davis on Tuesday told Oxford County commissioners that when looking at the amount of services actually used, towns in 2004 overpaid by as much as $219,000 or underpaid by as much as $118,000.

Towns pay for the Oxford County Sheriff’s Department and related services based on property valuation, not use.

However, Davis said, “I’ve never been in favor of a pay-as-you-go type system.”

His presentation was in response to a proposal endorsed by the Bethel Board of Selectmen, which would require towns without police departments to pay for 90 percent of the costs associated with the Oxford County Sheriff’s Department patrol.

Rumford, Norway, Oxford, Bethel, Fryeburg, Paris, Dixfield and Mexico would foot only 10 percent of the bill because they have their own police departments.

The Bethel proposal covers only patrol services, but Davis has said it is more equitable to consider use of the Oxford County Jail and the Regional Communications Center as well.

Based on his estimates, Rumford paid $426,047 for patrol, jail and communications services in 2004, but used only $219,213 worth of services.

Norway, in contrast, paid $190,694 but used $308,339 worth of services.

Lumping all towns without police departments into one category, Davis said the group paid $1.6 million, but used an additional $36,865 in services.

Davis said his research showed that “things aren’t as unfair as they seem.”

Commission Chairman Steve Merrill said there still appeared to be some inequities. “The biggest problem is, how can you alleviate that?”

He for the second time this year expressed interest in forming a committee to look into the issue, but the board took no action.

Davis said he will be talking with selectmen from various towns in coming months.

“Unfortunately, the smaller towns don’t have enough money and probably don’t have enough need to fund their own patrols,” he said after reiterating his opposition to the pay-as-you-go idea.