Preston – Town officials are again considering whether to contract with a neighboring police department to cover the town as part of the planning for the development of the Norwich Hospital property.

The town is in the final year of cleanup at the former hospital property, and Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment will take over ownership of the 393-acre property upon completion. The tribe plans a major development of retail, recreational, hospitality and senior housing on the property.

The Board of Selectmen will invite officials from Ledyard and Norwich to present proposals for a second time on how their police departments could provide coverage to Preston, the scope of that coverage and the annual cost to Preston.

First Selectman Robert Congdon told the Board of Selectmen Thursday he met with Ledyard Mayor Fred Allyn III and Ledyard Police Chief John Rich earlier that day to discuss the concept. The Board of Selectmen agreed to invite Ledyard officials to a meeting for a public presentation of a proposed coverage plan.

Congdon said Monday he also plans to contact Norwich City Manager John Salomone and Police Chief Patrick Daley to see if Norwich wants to submit a proposal. Daley and Salomone said Monday they remain interested in extending coverage into Preston.

“It’s one way to regionalize,” Salomone said. “We’ve been in talks on and off with Preston for a couple of years. It never went anywhere.”

In 2017, Preston considered contracting with either Ledyard or Norwich police to cover the town, rather than the current two resident state troopers. Both departments presented detailed coverage proposals and annual costs. But the issue was dropped after the Preston Emergency Services Advisory Committee recommended keeping the resident trooper program.

Preston’s current budget includes $370,830 for two resident state troopers, but there is no designated trooper coverage overnight and on weekends in town, Congdon said. Funding for the two troopers has become an annual budget battle, with the added uncertaintly of state funding for resident troopers.

Congdon said based on Thursday’s meeting with Ledyard officials, he estimated contracting with Ledyard would cost between $500,000 and $600,000 annually, plus a one-time capital cost to purchase a police cruiser that would be dedicated to Preston. Part of the annual cost would be a small amount for future replacement of the vehicle.

Ledyard Police Chief Rich said he would need to add five officers and one vehicle to provide round-the-clock, daily coverage in Preston. The department would expand some patrols in Ledyard to add Preston territory, and would need one entirely new patrol area for the majority of Preston.

Adding Preston coverage would almost double the size of the coverage area for Ledyard police, Rich said.

Congdon said he hopes to schedule the Ledyard presentation to the Board of Selectmen for a date in February.

He also said there might not be time to incorporate any change in police coverage into the upcoming 2019-20 budget, saying it seems “very aggressive” to have a siged contract in place for July 1.

“We certainly could do it midyear, or a year from July,” Congdon said. “And that would coincide with when the tribe would start infrastructure work. We would have additional property tax revenue to help cover additional cost.”

c.bessette@theday.com