WATERBORO — The fire and rescue department may be changing to the Biddeford Police Department for dispatching services.

The possibility of a change from Sanford Regional Communications comes for a number of reasons, including what Fire Chief Matthew Bors described as frequent staff turnover in Sanford, cost increases, lack of computerized run cards, issues surrounding the calling of automatic mutual aid providers, and more.

Selectmen didn’t take a formal vote during a budget workshop Tuesday, but said Bors and Town Administrator Gary Lamb should move in the direction of making the switch to Biddeford.

Bors said the cost to stay with Sanford will be $7.82 per capita beginning July 1, with annual increases tied to the Consumer Price Index throughout the proposed five-year contract. He said Biddeford is offering a $7 per capita fee for each year of a proposed two-year contract. Associated costs with switching to Biddeford are estimated at about $10,000 and include installing a repeater antenna on Ossipee Mountain. Waterboro would be allocated its own frequency with a switch to Biddeford.

Selectmen Chairwoman TammyJo Girard said there may be savings over time, because Waterboro wouldn’t be paying annual increases as they would if they stayed with Sanford.

Waterboro’s contract with Sanford expires June 30. The fire and rescue department came to Sanford Regional Communications for service in 2009.

“We’ve tried to make Sanford our home,” sad Bors, but he said he believes the communications center has been struggling. He said by contrast, Biddeford has not had a lot of staff turnover.

“My preference is to look at Biddeford,” said Girard, a civilian employee with the Saco Police Department. “I know them, and I’ve worked with them over the years, and I think Waterboro would be well-served.”

“I recommend we go to Biddeford because of what they can do for us over what Sanford can do,” said Lamb, the town administrator.

Selectman Gordon Littlefield said he believes Sanford has high turnover because workers are paid less than those in other dispatch centers, which he said can lead to low morale.

While Sanford had dispatched its own fire, rescue and police calls for years, Sanford Regional Communications Center was established in 2008 when the county government’s regional communications center was disbanded and York County Sheriff’s Office began contracting the service from Sanford.

A year later, many communities that had contracted their fire and rescue dispatching services from the county and later the Maine Department of Public Safety, including Waterboro, made the move to Sanford. The Sanford center provides police, fire and rescue dispatching for Kennebunk, North Berwick and Old Orchard Beach ”“ though that seaside community is exploring a switch to Scarborough for dispatching service. Biddeford currently provides service to the Goodwin’s Mills and Arundel fire departments, as well as to its own agencies.

Biddeford is one of three designated public safety answering points in York County, along with Sanford and York.

Both Sanford City Manager Steve Buck and Communications Director Bill Tower, who have been working to update the operating structure of the agency, are on vacation this week and could not be reached for comment.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or [email protected].