OLD ORCHARD BEACH — The town has approved the first step in the process for Scarborough to run its dispatch.

The town council voted unanimously on Tuesday ”“ with Councilor Shawn O’Neill absent ”“ on a proposal to have Scarborough manage its public safety dispatch.

Councilor Joseph Thornton, who works as a dispatcher in Scarborough, abstained from the vote and discussion on the matter.

Scarborough was scheduled to vote on its budget Wednesday night, which included any necessary funding changes for the proposal, said Scarborough Town Manager Thomas Hall.

In order for the proposal to be finalized, a contract needs to be signed by both towns. Scarborough would hire new personnel to cover the increase in calls, and the proposal would be revenue neutral for the Town of Scarborough, said Hall.

The City of Sanford has conducted public safety services for Old Orchard Beach under a contract since 2011. Prior to this, Old Orchard Beach had its own dispatch center at the town’s police station.

Town Manager Larry Mead said one advantage of contracting with Scarborough would be that a dispatcher from Scarborough would answer non-emergency calls instead of calls being picked up by an automated service. Mead also said Scarborough is a neighboring community and would be handling and focused on two communities, unlike Sanford, which handles dispatch for 15-plus communities.

Partnering with Scarborough, under the proposed agreement, would be $21,800 less per year than the agreement with Scarborough.

There would be a one-time cost of nearly $62,000 of set-up costs, should the town stay with a microwave communication system, or about $140,000 if the town chooses to go with a fiber-optic system.

Councilor Michael Tousignant recommended the town go with fiber optic equipment, as “microwaving to Sanford didn’t work.”

Local businessman and resident George Kerr said that Scarborough and Old Orchard Beach had a “beautiful” mutual aid relationship for public safety and many police officers trained in Old Orchard Beach now work in Scarborough.

“I think it’s a much, much better fit for our community,” he said.

Councilor Bob Quinn said though he had no reason to believe the relationship with Scarborough wouldn’t be anything but positive, he was concerned that the council was moving forward on the proposal too quickly. He said the town had spent a lot of time on the previous relationship with Sanford, and he had heard a lot of complaints.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or [email protected].