ALFRED — One York County commissioner has said he wants communities to commit to hiring contract deputies before he accepts a $250,000 federal grant to add two officers.

York County Sheriff’s Office received the grant through the federal justice department in June. Sheriff Maurice Ouellette said one position would replace a deputy who was laid off last year after a grant expired, and the second would ensure that a position funded by another grant due to expire at the end of the year will continue. The grants provide partial funding.

“I’m not trying to increase the number of deputies but stay where we are,” he said.

Ouellette said he’s promoting the contract deputy program, which provides communities with a dedicated 40-hour per week deputy, but pointed out that he currently has just 24 road deputies to cover a population of 48,000 in 522 square miles.

From Jan. 1, 2011 through Dec. 31, 2011, calls for service in the 14 towns patrolled by the York County Sheriff’s Office totaled 22,366.

Ouellette said the lack of manpower makes for some dangerous moments ”“ including a recent situation in Hollis during a domestic dispute where a deputy was assaulted. It was 13 minutes before a back-up deputy could respond, said Ouellette. He reminded commissioners of a situation in Lebanon last year where another deputy was injured during a dust-up with family members of those involved in a car crash.

He said there are times when eight to 10 calls for service are waiting for a response, and that one recent night, there were fewer deputies covering a shift than preferred, due to manpower constraints.

Commissioner Gary Sinden, whose district includes the southern York County towns of York, Wells, Ogunquit, Kittery and Eliot, said those communities are struggling to pay for their own police departments and shouldn’t have to pay more.

“I can’t vote to punish further the towns with police departments,” Sinden said

York County Sheriff’s Office has contract deputies in Arundel and Waterboro. Ouellette said he been pitching the program, which provides 40 hours a week of dedicated coverage to a community, and will continue to do so. He made a presentation in Alfred Tuesday, and has appointments with other communities.

Alfred Selectman John Sylvester this morning said Alfred can’t collect taxes on property the tax-exempt county owns in town, a value of more than $430,000, and the town pays $152,000 in county tax. He said Alfred isn’t interested in the contract deputy program at this time.

“I’m astounded towns without police departments aren’t interested in community policing,” said Sinden.

He said the Town of York, in his district, pays for its own police department and for 13 percent of the rural patrol budget.

“If the town’s aren’t interested ”¦ essentially for half the cost, I just don’t see me voting to punish the towns that have stepped up,” said Sinden.

The grant has a 90-day deadline for acceptance.

Ouellette said he understands the commissioner’s concerns.

“We’re looking at public safety. You’re the board that gives me the money to operate, and right now there’s a gun to our head,” he said, adding it should fall to the Legislature to fix inequities in legislation that governs how entities like rural patrol are financed.

Another commissioner, David Bowles, suggested two or three communities like Acton, Newfield and Shapleigh, could band together to hire a contract deputy.

Sinden said the towns he represents are struggling to maintain levels of service for first responders.

Bowles said he has some questions and wasn’t prepared to vote Wednesday, but he understood Ouellette’s position while also agreeing with Sinden.

“In some cases, the leaders in the community are putting their own citizens and the deputies at risk,” he said. “I think you and the deputies do an amazing job.”

County Manager Greg Zinser said commissioners could vote at their next meeting, set for 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 4 at the York County Government Building on Route 4, or perhaps earlier, if another August meeting is scheduled.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, Ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.