Every situation has its tipping point. The town of Preston may have reached that point with the resident state trooper program.

Because the state is once again raising the charge for resident troopers, Preston is listening carefully to separate proposals from Ledyard and Norwich that would have one of those municipal next-door neighbors provide some level of policing in town.

The shock to the pocketbook has Preston comparison shopping, and that is a healthy thing for the taxpaying public in at least two towns — Preston and its potential provider.

The Day has long advocated for regionalization of services, including emergency response, education, animal control, trash collection and others that don't need to be run by one person or department per town. Norwich has a 90-person force that could presumably work extra miles into its patrol routes. Ledyard has a newly hatched municipal force that understands the transition from resident troopers from recent experience.

Both towns approached Preston, which is a sure sign that officials in Ledyard and Norwich see advantages to their departments and residents as well.

Preliminary conversations will need to become detailed discussions about which services and what they would cost. Preston knows the state will be charging $322,650 for two resident troopers whose time is shared with Troop E. For a substantial savings, could the town contract for an assigned officer, or two? Regular patrols from home base in Norwich or Ledyard? Just a response to emergency calls?

If Connecticut were a larger state with active county government, a county sheriff system might cover small towns like Preston and North Stonington. But this tiny state found that town-based services worked best — for the first 300 years.

Not necessarily so anymore.