ALFRED — York County Commissioners Wednesday agreed to a negotiated one -year contract with Sanford Regional Communications Center for dispatch services, but they’ll still be looking at options for the future.

The county government had faced a $99,000 increase as part of a re-allocation of costs at the regional communications center that were first introduced by Sanford late last year. Instead, County Manager Greg Zinser met with his Sanford counterparts and negotiated the increase down to $36,000. That means the county’s total cost for dispatch services paid to Sanford is about $517,000 for the fiscal year that began July 1.

The proposed $100,000 increase was a bit of a surprise because the county government has been operating under the impression that its agreement with Sanford didn’t expire until 2015. However, as it turns out, the county had no signed contract with Sanford, although unsigned drafts apparently exist. Commissioner Richard Dutremble has previously said that the contract was never signed because some of its contents were contradictory.

Sanford Regional Communications Center began exploring establishment of an advisory group and worked out a new pricing system late last year. Sanford has been paying 40 percent of the $2.1 million it costs to operate the system, but had 28 percent of the served population, City Manager Steve Buck said in a meeting with dispatch partners late last year.

Zinser on Wednesday told commissioners he would look at York, Biddeford and perhaps Cumberland County for dispatching services. He said the county will continue to work with Sanford throughout the course of the year, and indicated there may be some other options.

“Perhaps there is a way for the county to get involved in communications again,” he said. The county had once operated a dispatch center for its own operations and also provided service to rural fire and rescue departments.

He said in fairness to Sanford, commissioners should decide on a direction by late December.

“We need to look at the contract as a whole and see if we can make it work or move to another agency,” Zinser said.

“Make sure we do it the right way,” cautioned Dutremble. “Last time, it was a rush job and cost the county,” he said of the original agreement.

Zinser pointed out the county has a significant investment with Sanford RCC and he said if a switch to another agency is made, the transition would not happen “overnight.”

Commission Chairman Sallie Chandler thanked Zinser for negotiating a smaller increase. With little discussion, the five-member commissioners board voted unanimously to approve the one-year contract.

Some communities contracted with Sanford Regional Communications Center have already switched to other agencies. Old Orchard Beach, citing long-term cost savings and a more natural affinity, is poised to switch from Sanford RCC to Scarborough sometime next year. Meanwhile, Alfred Fire Department and Waterboro Fire and Rescue are switching to Biddeford.

Sanford also provides services to North Berwick, several small towns and Kennebunk, which Buck has described as one of the center’s strongest partners.

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