PHILLIPSTON – The Selectboard voted Wednesday to approve a new intermunicipal public safety agreement with Templeton.

This three-year agreement entails Templeton providing police and fire dispatch services for both communities. Templeton’s five-member Selectboard also gave the agreement its unanimous backing Wednesday night.

The previous agreement called for Templeton to bill Phillipston annually based on the number of calls received from Phillipston. The most recent bill amounted to just over $77,000. Instead of being charged on a per-call basis, Phillipston will now pay $50,000 every fiscal year over the length of the agreement.

The contract also includes a provision for Phillipston to “establish an equipment budget…in the amount of $5,000 annually for the purpose of purchasing communication-related equipment.

Once again, Templeton residents pay so another town can benefit. One town gets same service as Templeton for less than the cost of one employee.