DIXFIELD — Voters on Tuesday did not approve money to contract with the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office for coverage.

As a result, Town Manager Alicia Conn said the municipal budget is $2.92 million, which is $229,597 less than this fiscal year that ends June 30.

The Select Board and Finance Committee each voted 5-2 to discontinue contracted coverage with the Sheriff’s Office, Conn said. The Select Board felt the explanation about the extent of the coverage was not satisfactory.

The request for public safety contracted services, which would include law enforcement, is $525,416, according Article 15 on the warrant. However, the Select Board and Finance Committee recommended $96,879 for Med-Care Ambulance only.

Had Article 15 failed, Conn said the Select Board would have revisited the issue with the county. Because it passed, they’ll move on without coverage. However, the county will still provide 24-hour emergency coverage as required, with no patrol.

The town had been operating under the old contract, which expired June 30, 2024.

Conn said that two weeks after the town settled the town meeting warrant, the county provided numbers about the hike in the contract that the Select Board had been asking for for months.

She said the town has been wrestling with the policing issue for over a year.

In elections Tuesday, newcomer Stephen Donahue won a three-year term on the Select Board as did write-in candidate Dan Carrier.

Reelected to three-year terms on the Regional School Unit 56 board of directors were Barbara Chow and Elizabeth Kelly.