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Council appoints working group to study regionalization, discusses shared fire chief and police chief vacancy
Summary
The Hallowell council appointed residents to a working group to examine regionalization and the possibility of sharing a fire chief with neighboring Farmingdale; the city manager reported Police Chief Giles resigned and a recruitment process (applications due June 1) and possible interim coverage are underway.
The Hallowell City Council on May 11 authorized a working group to study regionalization of city services, including exploring whether Hallowell could share a fire chief with neighboring Farmingdale.
The city manager reported he had reached out to Manchester and Farmingdale; Manchester declined further talks but Farmingdale said a shared fire-chief arrangement had operational merit. Councilors debated whether short-term payroll savings would be realized and noted that most financial savings from regionalization — if any — would appear in the long term (for equipment purchases such as a fire truck) rather than immediately in salaries. Several members emphasized operational benefits including shared training, mutual aid and coordinated purchasing.
To move the idea forward the council appointed John McNaughton, Mike McPherson, Maggie Warren, Kim Gleason and Sam Joya to a working group that will meet organizationally, then meet with Farmingdale representatives and fire-department leadership to scope options. The motion to appoint the group passed unanimously.
Separately, the city manager notified the council that Police Chief Giles submitted his resignation. The city manager said an advertisement for the police-chief position is posted with an initial application deadline of June 1 and that he is exploring interim‑chief candidates; Sheriff Mason has offered to participate in interview panels if requested. The city manager said he will schedule interviews in early June and work with outside law-enforcement contacts to ensure broad review.
Councilors framed the next steps as fact-finding and analysis: the working group and staff will return with options and costs if the council wants to pursue any intermunicipal agreement or position-sharing arrangement.
Quotes - City Manager: "Farmingdale at this point thought the idea of sharing a chief had merit..." (summary of outreach). - Councilor Cooper: raised concerns that short-term savings are unlikely and that the focus should be on operational efficiencies.
Next steps The appointed working group will convene an initial organizational meeting and then meet with Farmingdale officials; the city manager will finalize the police-chief recruitment timeline and report back on interim coverage and candidate review plans.
