A controversial plan to cut Cape Elizabeth dispatch from public safety is getting the backing of the fire and police chiefs.

Fire Chief Peter Gleeson and Police Chief Neil Williams recently presented a plan to the town that would consolidate dispatch with South Portland and Portland. Both of those towns are in the final stages of combining dispatch services, Williams said.

Consolidating dispatch would enhance Cape’s services, Williams said.

“The service will still be there,” Williams said. “It will just be delivered in a different manner being that you’ll be calling somebody outside of the community for computer-aided dispatch or radio dispatch.”

Consolidation offers the town technological advantages such as computer-aided dispatching where a computer sends information to an electronic device such as a phone in a police car to alert the officer of a situation. The consolidation also enables Cape to tap into a global positioning system.

“We currently don’t have either of those,” Gleeson said. “These will allow our emergency services to be aware of a problem right away.”

Both Williams and Gleeson said the plan makes sense because both South Portland and Cape Elizabeth already share public safety resources.

The fire stations at Willard Beach in South Portland and the Cape Cottage Station on Shore Road provide service to both communities. South Portland assists Cape’s paramedics on some rescue calls heading to Portland hospitals. Radio communication is already established between the communities and animal control in Cape Elizabeth is provided by the South Portland Police Department.

“It’s difficult to recommend because I’ve known the dispatchers for years,” Gleeson said. “Setting aside the human element, however, it’s obviously a huge cost savings for the town, and we should do it now so we can choose who we go along with.”

Town Manager Michael McGovern has said consolidating dispatch will save the town about $127,000 in its municipal budget. Cape is currently facing a $500,000 revenue shortfall for the 2009-2010 budget year, McGovern said.

The current proposed budget the town finance committee recently approved is $8.5 million and proposes decreasing the tax rate by 2 cents to $17.44 per $1,000 of property valuation.

“In the long run, consolidating dispatch will provide better service,” McGovern said. “The dispatchers do a great job, but this will offer even more backup because there’s only so much the dispatchers can do.”

The town is working with the four dispatchers to find them jobs, Williams said. Currently Scarborough has an opening and Portland/South Portland have two openings.

Cape municipal workers also have displacement rights meaning employees who have lost their jobs because of cutbacks, can bump municipal workers from their jobs if they have seniority and are qualified for that position, Williams said.

The town is also going to create a clerical position at the police department during the day so residents have a person to talk to about issues that might arise, Williams said. The hours for that position have not been determined and a cost has not been estimated, McGovern said.

“We, the town, are taking steps to make sure we guide the dispatchers along so if and when consolidation takes place they will have a job in place,” Williams said.

McGovern said the downfall to displacement rights is that it forces someone else out of their jobs. It is not known yet whether the dispatchers will follow that path, McGovern said.

“We certainly have a lot of nervous people right now,” McGovern said.

Cape residents will have a chance to voice their opinions about emergency dispatching on April 13. That could be a showdown, McGovern said, after about 40 residents urged the town not to cut dispatch at a January public hearing seeking input on the budget.

The town finance committee recently voted 5-1 to send the proposed budget to the Town Council. It will be discussed at a public hearing on April 13.

Council Chairman James Rowe opposed the budget because the town made a promise last year to the dispatchers that their jobs would not be cut for at least three years, he said.

Rowe said it was a difficult decision because he understood that $127,000 is a huge savings for the town, but he couldn’t go back on his word.

“It was simply following through on a promise I made to the dispatchers,” Rowe said. “My personal integrity isn’t for sale even for $127,000. Also comforting my position is that I know in two years, even if we cut dispatch, we’re still going to be looking for ways to save money.”

Ed Hunt has worked as a Cape Elizabeth dispatcher for 35 years. His tenure could be over if the Town Council adopts a municipal budget that includes cutting dispatch from the town.