East Lyme ― In a move described by many as long overdue, the Board of Selectmen is calling for the public to weigh in on the creation of a Youth and Family Services department.

Selectmen recently voted unanimously to set a public hearing on an ordinance to replace the current Youth Services Commission with a Youth, Family and Human Services Commission.

Finance Director Kevin Gervais estimated the cost in the upcoming budget would be $179,955. New expenses include a department director and two part-time therapists in addition to an existing prevention coordinator position.

There’s currently one part-time clinical therapist hired by youth services with federal pandemic-relief funds who is available to meet with individuals, couples and families. A social worker at the senior center is expected to be funded by pandemic-relief funds through most of the next budget year.

Based on the proposal drafted by several members of the town’s Youth Services Coalition, the new department would grow over five years to include a case worker and an administrative assistant.

First Selectman Kevin Seery at the selectmen’s meeting characterized the move as a matter of public safety in a town that has shown enough support over the past five years to grow its fledgling independent police force from four officers to 30.

He argued helping people find mental health support and financial assistance up front makes it less likely that police will have to get involved.

“Public safety is a big concern for all of us,” he said. “This is definitely part of that public safety because you’re being proactive versus reactive.”

Selectman Bill Weber put it this way: “Prevention’s worth a pound of cure, for sure.”

Officials expect Sarah Firmin, the current full-time prevention coordinator working with youth to address mental health and substance use issues, will be promoted to director of the new department.

Firmin said expanding the focus on youth to include residents of all ages will open up grant opportunities not now available to the town. She pointed to a Strategic Prevention grant from the state that could provide as much as $375,000 a year and the federal Drug-Free Communities grant with a $175,000 ceiling.

Neighboring Old Lyme and Lyme share the Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau. Director Mary Seidner said her group receives $125,000 a year through the highly competitive Drug-Free Communities grant. A third of the nonprofit organization’s total budget comes from taxpayers, with Old Lyme currently allocating $99,000 and Lyme $28,000.

The draft ordinance language specifies youth services are also open to children in Salem, which sends its students to East Lyme High School. Seery said expanding the current youth services’ scope to include Salem youths who aren’t yet high school aged ― and what a cost-sharing arrangement might look like ― would have to be negotiated by the two towns.

The only other towns in New London County without human services departments are Salem, Sprague and Lisbon, according to Firmin. All three towns have populations of less than 5,000, while East Lyme’s is 18,693.

The new commission would have seven members serving four-year terms, including at least one representative from the school system, police department, a private youth-serving agency, a member younger than 21, a senior citizen and one person from the wider community. Someone from Salem and the director of the youth and family services department would be non-voting members.

A public hearing will be held at 7 p.m. Nov. 15 at the East Lyme Town Hall, 108 Pennsylvania Ave. Selectmen are slated to vote at their regular meeting following the hearing. If approved, the ordinance would go into effect Nov. 27.

e.regan@theday.com