PARIS — By a ratio of 2-1, voters Tuesday elected to keep the Police Department.

The vote was 617-337, Town Clerk Liz Knox said.

Interim Police Chief Hartley “Skip” Mowatt, who hosted police personnel at his house for dinner and to await the results, said he was pleased with the outcome of the referendum.

“We’re thankful to the citizens of the town to show their support for the Paris Police Department,” he said. “All of the officers are very thankful.” The vote “means there’s a lot of backing from the citizens and that’s commitment from the citizens. We will continue on doing the job they expect out of us. We will continue to be professional and do what we can for the community.” 

Last summer, selectmen and town administrators pledged to cut $500,000 from municipal spending after an unanticipated 40-cent jump in the tax rate left residents asking for relief. As a way to reduce spending, selectmen explored the option of disbanding the Police Department and contracting services with the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office.

The Police Department’s 2016-17 budget is $514,131, down $92,809 from this fiscal year. It allows for the continuance of 24/7 patrol coverage and the retention of seven full-time and five part-time employees. The school resource officer position was nixed from the budget, but Mowatt hopes to reinstate it next school year.

The Sheriff’s Department contract was for $363,064 for the first year and included three full-time deputies, detective services and cruisers. The second year was $324,500.

The Police Department posted the voting results on its Facebook page and as of 9:30 p.m., 92 people had liked the post.

“That’s decisive, huh!” Paris resident Rusty Brackett wrote on the page.

Voters will weigh in on the Police Department at the annual town meeting at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 18, at the Paris Fire Station, 137 Western Ave.

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