KILLIAN - A month after taking office, the mayor of Killian says he wants to shake things up and save the town money, and that could mean dissolving the police department temporarily. 

Caleb Atwell took office at the beginning of July, and already, he’s changing systems and could be cutting jobs. 

"I did my best to get ready, and I've learned a bunch of stuff since getting elected," Atwell said. 

In July, Atwell proposed dissolving the three-person Killian Police Department for one year. Days later, a representative from the Municipal Police Employees’ Retirement System would say Killian was not in compliance with a state law that required municipalities to pay into retirement for officers. 

The law has existed since 1973, and all municipalities are required to enroll in it, but MPERS says Killian has never enrolled or paid into the system. 

According to MPERS, Killian owed $372,818.04, which, according to the mayor, is nearly the same amount as the town’s annual budget.

MPERS says town officials have met multiple times with staff and claimed they would enroll officers, but never took action. 

“Their continued inaction, despite knowing the law and the consequences, suggests a troubling disregard for the very officers who serve their community,” a representative for MPERS said. 

After Atwell announced the department could be disbanded, MPERS claimed it was an attempt to “avoid these obligations altogether.”

Atwell has crunched the numbers and says it would be better for the town to disband the police department, keeping the police chief on part-time, in compliance with the Lawrason Act. Atwell says there are discussions of a settlement between MPERS and Killian in the works.

"We don't have a line of credit, so really what this means is you run out of money at some point between September and October,” Atwell said. 

The town is holding a council meeting on Aug. 12 at 6 p.m. at the Killian town hall to discuss the potential changes with the public.