Town councilors from Gray reacted to a letter received from Don Willard, town manager of Raymond, at a recent council meeting.

Gray Town Manager Deborah Cabana asked the councilors if they would be willing to meet with the Raymond board of selectmen to discuss the costs involved with shared public safety services between the towns.

The issue arose during a Dec. 4 meeting of the Raymond selectmen, when Fire Chief Denis Morse presented a detailed accounting of the costs the Raymond Public Safety Department has incurred in recent years in responding to 911 calls from residents on Gore and Brown Roads in Gray.

Morse said last year, such calls amounted to $30,000 in write-offs. Maine EMS protocol designates Raymond as the first responder to emergency calls to residents living just over the town line in Gray. But Raymond is seeking compensation for the costs involved.

At Tuesday night’s meeting, Cabana said that she and Gray Fire Chief Ricky Plummer are relatively new employees of the town, and were not aware of Raymond’s concerns.

“I was not aware there was an issue, but I’m told it has been a longstanding issue,” said Cabana.

In recent weeks, Morse has said that Raymond has tried to work out some kind of agreement between Raymond and Gray to share the burden of emergency response costs. But, he said it was difficult to make progress because personnel in the town constantly changed.

Although the Gray Town Council also seemed uninformed of Raymond’s plight, they were receptive.

“I think we should meet with them. They’re our next-door neighbors, and we should be cooperative, one way or another,” said councilor Tracy Sheckel.

Councilor Margaret Hutchins agreed. She pointed out that residents living on Gore and Brown Roads are Gray residents who the town is responsible for.

“I’m sure Raymond is paying to take our town’s people, and that’s an expense,” said Hutchins.

Hutchins recognized that residents living near the Raymond town line are not easy to get to, since Gray Fire and Rescue has to travel around Little Sebago Lake to reach residents on Gore and Brown Roads, and added that it is important to maintain a good relationship with Raymond because of geographical challenges.

“If a resident (in that area of town) has a heart attack, by the time we get there, we take the chance that they’re gone,” said Hutchins.

Councilor Andy Upham said he is willing to meet with Raymond, but would like a better idea of what the selectmen are looking for. He and other councilors were not clear on how Raymond was designated as the first responders to Gore and Brown Roads in the first place.

“I’d go to a meeting with these people, but I would like to know what the outcome is that they’re looking for,” said Upham.

After some discussion, the council decided to meet with the Raymond board, and asked Cabana to respond with a letter to set up a meeting in the near future.