If Damariscotta swaps its police force for Lincoln County sheriff's deputies, the change would not affect county taxes, officials said.

The town would bear all the costs, from 24-hour service to the new deputies' pensions and uniform-cleaning, according to a proposal Sheriff Todd Brackett made at the Damariscotta Selectmen's request.

The town would even have to fund the added workload for the county treasurer and other county workers,  County Commissioners Chairman Bill Blodgett said.

“It wouldn't be fair to the other 18 municipalities if they had to contribute toward this,” Blodgett said. The switch to county law enforcement would be a “tradeoff” for the town to consider: keep local control or save money, he said.

The town would save about $70,000 the first year and “at least” $100,000 a year after that, Town Manager Matt Lutkus said. A secretarial position would be cut, and five deputies would replace six police officers. Two of the six positions are partly dedicated to administration and supervision, which the county would provide instead. One officer position is currently vacant, Lutkus said.

One dangling unknown is whether deputies will successfully negotiate pay hikes after the Damariscotta contract has been signed. The deal will include some form of contingency plan, such as shifting expenses in other line items or the town increasing what it pays the county, Lutkus said.  So other towns would still not take a hit. “No way at all. This is self-contained. It's completely separate” from the county taxes, he said.

Major Ken Mason of the sheriff's department said he was aware of “no financial impact” that the potential Damariscotta deal would have on the rest of the county. The sheriff did not immediately return a message.

In November Damariscotta voters will consider changing the town charter to allow the switch. If the amendment passes at the polls and talks are completed quickly enough, the county could take over Damariscotta's law enforcement as early as January 2013, Lutkus said.

Lutkus would not predict the referendum's outcome. Some residents like the idea so far; others want to keep the local force, he said. He and one selectman interviewed, Vicki Pinkham, said the interest in exploring a change is purely financial.

“It's a dollars and cents thing,” Pinkham said. “The police department does an excellent job. But the tax is high here, and we're trying to look at things to make it more affordable.”

Although the Damariscotta Police Department would cease to exist,  some of its same officers might still patrol the town. They would be considered before the new deputy positions are advertised publicly, Brackett's August 24 proposal stated.

However, Police Chief Chad Andrews said he and two of the town's other four officers have “no intention whatsoever of going to Lincoln County.” In his case, he wouldn't want to go from being a chief to a deputy, he said.

Eliminating the local department could risk some benefits residents are used to, such as knowing the local officers and feeling comfortable talking with them, the chief said.

“For the cost difference, it's not worth it,” Andrews said of the proposal.

Brackett also offered an alternative, $392,380 plan for 20-hour days rather than round-the-clock service for $432,788 a year. He did not recommend one level of service over the other, but cited Miles Memorial Hospital and the town's “vibrant business community” as factors to keep in mind.

The selectmen have not seriously entertained the 20-hour option, Lutkus said.