Officials in Gray are exploring the possibility of forming a public safety department in which members would be trained to serve as both police officers and firefighters.

That possibility is one of several town residents could get to vote on next spring at the annual town meeting.

Town councilors met last week with Gray Fire-Rescue Chief Ricky Plummer, who outlined the costs of policing in Gray, the largest community in Maine not to have a municipal police force.

Plummer presented three options, including either contracting an officer from the Maine State Police or Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department, or starting its own public safety department. Residents may see those cost projections on the ballot at the 2009 town meeting as the Town Council seeks direction on the issue from voters.

Councilors asked for Plummer’s input after officials from the Maine State Police and the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office said in September that the high volume of calls originating from Gray stresses the resources of the two agencies. Councilors have scheduled a meeting for Jan. 26 to allow representatives from the two agencies to discuss the challenges of policing in Cumberland County, as well as the potential for contracting officers.

At the same time, Plummer is leading discussions with Raymond, Casco and Naples regarding the creation of a regional public safety department. Also at town meeting, voters may be asked to fund a study to test the potential for such an arrangement.

Real decisions on law enforcement in Gray may be months away, said Councilor Matt Sturgis, but the Town Council in the meantime has to gather all the information necessary for voters to make a choice.

“My feeling is that probably we are a year out. It’s not something you jump right into,” said Sturgis. “It’s really just to give a recommendation to the town at town meeting.”

Plummer said contracting with the state police for one trooper covering 40 hours per week would cost the town around $110,000 a year, including salary, benefits, equipment and a cruiser. To have four troopers patrolling around the clock, the cost would be around $437,000 a year, he said. Similar agreements with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office would cost around $141,000 and $565,364 a year, respectively, Plummer said.

If the town wants to contract its law enforcement services, the first step is to decide how much coverage is needed, Plummer said.

“Do we want to start with 40 hours? Do we want 80 hours? Do we want night times? Day times?” he said.

Gray could have comparable coverage while saving tax dollars if the town formed its own public safety department, Plummer said. Modeled after a similar department in the resort area of Waterville Valley, N.H., a public safety department would consist of personnel cross-trained in all emergency capabilities, Plummer said. For instance, he said, a town police officer could handle fire and rescue calls as well.

“If we have a fire, he can respond to a fire and don bunker gear and take his air pack out of his trunk and help fight the fire,” said Plummer. “And that’s done around the country in towns smaller than ours, right up to big cities.”

It would likely cost around $300,000 to start the department the first year, given the cost of training and equipment, Plummer said. The second year costs would drop to around $200,000, he said.

Gray would also then have the benefit of buying equipment that would stay in town, Plummer said. If a town contracts with either of the larger law enforcement agencies, the town is basically renting cruisers and other equipment that are lost if the contract is ended, he said.

While Raymond, Casco and Naples are all interested in exploring a regional public safety department, neither Casco nor Naples experiences the call volume to necessitate taking on that cost now, Plummer said. Perhaps if Gray starts its own department, the other, smaller towns would join later, he said.