WASHBURN, Maine — Town officials have finalized the three referendum questions residents will be asked when deciding whether to keep a local police force.
With vacancies for the town police chief and full-time officer since the beginning of the year, Washburn officials and residents have been considering how to move forward with a police budget and whether to consider new coverage options, such as hiring another agency.
In a referendum scheduled for Tuesday, June 13, the same day as a statewide referendum on a bond question, Washburn residents will have three questions dealing with their police budget.
The first asks if the Washburn Police Department should be eliminated, said town manager Beverly Turner. If a majority vote in favor of keeping the department, then the town will fund a local department with the same $168,000 as last year, an amount that was approved at Washburn’s annual town meeting in March.
If a majority vote to eliminate the department, the town’s law enforcement approach and coverage will be determined by the two other referendum questions,Turner said.
If the department should be eliminated, Question 2 asks, shall the town council be directed to negotiate a contract with another law enforcement agency “to provide police services comparable” to those provided by the Washburn PD?
Question 3 asks if the town should rely on “general coverage” by the Maine State Police or Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office and if the town should also reduce the year’s police budget by $140,000.
If the voters choose the option in Question 2, Turner said the town would contract with either the Presque Isle Police Department or the County Sheriff’s Office, both of which submitted quotes for coverage. Turner said the PIPD’s quote proposed to provide 24/7 coverage with regular patrols for $100,000 a year, while the County Sheriff’s Office gave a number of quotes based on different service levels.
If voters choose the option in Question 3, it would reduce the town’s police budget and also mean the town would have less of a police presence for emergency coverage.
Currently, the town is served with general coverage by the Maine State Police and County Sherriff’s Office, and with reserve officers when available, Turner said.
The town is hosting a public hearing on the on the issue a month ahead of the vote, on Monday, May 8 at 6:30 p.m. at the Washburn Elementary School.
