WILTON — Selectmen accepted the resignation of Police Chief E. Page Reynolds with regret Tuesday night following an executive session. His last day with the department will be Aug. 6,  Town Manager Rhonda Irish said.

With board approval, the town will start advertising for a new chief and seek an interim chief for the time between Reynold’s leaving the department until a new chief is hired, she said.

“There were many uncertainties in regard to future continuation of the police chief position and the police department,” Reynolds said Tuesday about his reasons for leaving.

Reynolds was hired in May for the position after serving as interim chief after Dennis Brown left in March.

“Town officials were very supportive. There were gestures to try to soothe my doubts and calm my fears but they couldn’t give a definitive answer to the future of this department. They can only hope,” Reynolds said.

“In light of the economy, small towns, such as Wilton, realistically are looking at cost saving measures,” he said.

It may not necessarily happen but it could result in abolishing the local department with services outsourced to the Sheriff’s Department or merged with another department, he said.

“Things that small towns have to look at in these economic times … I do understand and I don’t take it as affront to me or my service here. I hope the town and citizens understand and don’t take it personally,” he added.

Several times Selectmen voiced an intention to keep the department for the foreseeable future during Tuesday’s discussions about the department.

With more than 20 years of experience as a homicide and drug investigator and patrolman in Connecticut, Reynolds said he’s looking at other prospects. There’s some possibility for something more secure and stable but he’s “playing his hand close to his chest” and wasn’t ready to announce any plans.

Some Wilton residents have become friends and family. Those ties will never go away, he said.  He wants his departure to play out the right way allowing him to gracefully bow out and move on.

Selectmen also endorsed forming a public service committee Tuesday. They voted for a committee that’s in favor of the department and all that they do but one that would work on understanding what the police department does. The idea for the committee was raised at the June town meeting when voters voiced questions about the department’s budget.

“That didn’t help — the idea of a committee voiced at town meeting,” he said. “The ink wasn’t dry … I hadn’t been permanent chief for more than a couple seconds when they decide to put a committee together. It’s like putting the cart before the horse. The committee should have done their work before they hired a chief. I’m not taking it personally — I understand — tough economic times means tough decisions have to be made for the citizens. In like manner, I need to do what I need to do to secure my future and what’s best for my family.”

Except for a brief hiatus when he resigned at the end of December and returned in March, Reynolds has served within the department since 2009. He’s seen good officers hired and then leave the department for better opportunities including salaries and promotion but also over concerns about their future. It’s tough on morale. The department is full of young people with families who want something secure and stable, he said.

“For some town departments, it’s a non-issue whether the town needs that department or not. For the police department, it should be a non-issue. Highway, water and sewage departments are necessities. I’d love to see Wilton Police Department be that for this community, a necessity. There is a need,” he said.

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