WILTON — Decision day was delayed Tuesday when the Wilton-Jay Police Collaboration Committee changed its schedule for presenting possible paths to cooperate in joint policing.
The committee, meeting at the Wilton Town Office, decided to present four options Feb. 3 to the Wilton Board of Selectpersons and Feb. 9 to the Jay Select Board.
A joint session of the boards had been scheduled for Jan. 28 as an informational meeting, with no authority to make decisions.
Instead, the committee presentations will be made during regular business meetings of each select board, allowing members to vote that night on whether to support a proposal. A decision Feb. 3 or Feb. 9, however, would not be required.
David Leavitt, a Wilton selectman and committee member, said decisions might be better made at regular meetings — Feb. 17 in Wilton and Feb. 23 in Jay. That schedule would give select board members time to review the proposals and discuss them during business meetings.
Several committee members acknowledged after the meeting that the select boards could disagree on which option to support, potentially restarting the process. That possibility, however, was not raised during the meeting.
After the select boards choose their preferred options, the committee will schedule public meetings to outline the future of police services in Jay and Wilton.
Sarah Caton, a committee member from Wilton, said she favored separate presentations to each board.
Ethan Kyes, the Wilton police chief and a committee member, agreed, saying, ”It makes more sense to go to the boards, have them make a recommendation, then schedule four to six locations in Jay and Wilton for public presentations.”
Lee Ann Dalessandro, a Jay selectwoman who chaired the Wilton meeting, said the public meetings would include an introduction, a review of the background on police cooperation, a summary of the committee’s process and explanations from Kyes and Jay Chief Joseph Sage on how the collaboration would work.
The collaboration committee voted Dec. 15 to present four options to the select boards:
- Take no action, leaving each town with its own police department.
- Contract with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office to police both towns, with 12 deputies assigned.
- One town, through a contract, provides police services for both towns.
- Create a quasi-municipal structure, establishing a new police agency governed by the towns.
The presentations to select boards and the public are expected to include pros and cons of each path, some previously outlined in a Monitor Local story published Dec. 20.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect Sarah Caton represents Wilton.
