Southern Butler County communities that agree to participate in a proposed regional police department feasibility study won't have anything to lose. The state Department of Community and Economic Development will be paying the entire cost of the endeavorf.

Even if the study were not to produce an agreement to form a regional department, it would provide valuable insight into the cost and logistics of such an undertaking.

The plan was to include Mars and Saxonburg boroughs and Adams, Clinton, Jefferson, Middlesex, Penn and Winfield townships, but Clinton unfortunately has opted out of the study.

Donald Christy, a Clinton Township supervisor, said the supervisors are happy with the state police coverage of the municipality. But with growth continuing to move northward out of Allegheny County, it is possible that sometime in the future local police coverage might be on the agenda for Clinton.

Information that would be forthcoming from the upcoming feasibility study might be a basis for starting discussion, even if the data were not up to date. Choosing not to participate will keep Clinton from having the benefit of such information.

There is no obligation for Clinton or any of the other seven municipalities for agreeing to participate.

As of Monday, Middlesex Township reportedly was the only municipality that had agreed to participate in the information-gathering exercise.

Regionalization could make the participating municipalities more attractive to the state and federal governments in terms of future grants.

The final report to be provided to participating municipalities would include the estimated cost of operating a merged department, the number of police officers needed, and other costs such as for insurance.

The proposal for the study comes at an excellent time for Middlesex, which has proposed deep cuts in its police department as a means for freeing up money to fix badly deteriorated roads. The proposal for scaled-back police operations in Middlesex has resulted in significant opposition.

Although Adams Township has its own police department, the township would not be harmed by study participation. The study could be a guage for the township to determine whether it currently is paying too much for the police service that is being provided.

The study will not be cursory. It will involve at least a year of work.

The DCED says cost savings of approximately 24 percent are realized when regional police networks are formed.

Municipal officials in the targeted communities should not base their decision about study participation on past Butler County police merger proposals and experiences. DCED should be given the green light for the study in question.

Again, the municipalities have nothing to lose, but potentially much to gain.