There are many good arguments for finally transitioning the Montville Police Department to a wholly independent police force, directed by its own police chief, and ending its operation as a constabulary administered by a resident state trooper. This is why the Town Council voted 5-2 to approve the change on Thursday.

With a population of nearly 20,000 people, Montville is a sizeable community with a busy road system, a substantial commercial sector, and has within its boundaries a major casino, the Mohegan Sun.

Planning for the public safety needs of the diverse community, including crime-prevention initiatives, is best directed by a police chief whose full attention is on Montville. And with the creation of an independent police force, the chief will be selected by and answerable to the mayor, providing a greater opportunity to mesh public policy goals with policing priorities.

An independent Montville force will lead to consistency in leadership, as opposed to the rotating resident state troopers who have been assigned to lead the Montville officers — four in four years, according to Mayor Ronald McDaniel, who supports the change.

When in 2010 voters approved $6.5 million for the construction of a new public safety complex, there was a clear understanding that it was designed to prepare for the change to an independent force to serve the town’s policing needs.

Neighboring Ledyard, with a population of around 15,000 and also host to a casino — Foxwoods Resorts — will officially become an independent department Feb. 1. Its new chief, John Rich, was recently sworn in. Both communities recognize that the savings once associated with using a resident state trooper to manage policing are quickly eroding as the state continues to increase the fee assessed to local towns.

Yet, based on letters to this newspaper and comments at public meetings on the proposal, skepticism and outright opposition appears significant in Montville, and with some good reason. An independent committee asked to study the proposal estimates that the transition to an independent department would cost an additional $300,000 annually, pointing to the cost of hiring a chief and several dispatchers. The impact on taxes would be relatively minimal.

The estimates appear ballpark at best and critics say they do not include all added costs nor project into the future how the town’s long-term fiscal obligations may grow.

This is why it is just as well that opponents of the change say they will petition it to a referendum. Town voters rejected such a change in 2002, but since then the motives to make the transition have grown. Holding another referendum will provide the opportunity for more discussion, while assuring any final approval will have the backing of the citizens of Montville.