Over the strong objections of one, two West Tisbury selectmen on Wednesday voted to create a new committee to explore the idea of building a new police station to replace the current headquarters next to the Mill Pond.

Chairman Dianne Powers and selectman Jeffrey (Skipper) Manter voted to create the committee, but selectman Richard Knabel dissented, arguing there was no rush to create the committee.

Mr. Knabel noted that Chuck Hodgkinson, chairman of the former space needs committee, recently submitted a plan to selectmen outlining how work on a new police station and addition to the town library might be scheduled. Under that plan, construction of a new police station would not begin for another four years.

Mr. Knabel noted that police chief Beth Toomey recently announced she will be retiring in April, and questioned whether this was the best time to start planning a new police headquarters. Selectmen last week appointed Sgt. Dan Rossi as interim chief, while a search is conducted to find a permanent replacement for Ms. Toomey.

“I don’t see much urgency to do this . . . I think to start a committee without having a permanent police chief in place is not fair to whoever that person turns out to be. The new chief has to have a major role in this process,” Mr. Knabel said.

The other two selectmen disagreed.

“The committee at first isn’t going to make any hard and fast decisions, it will be more informational gathering,” Mr. Manter said.

“They are going to take the first six months or year just gathering information; I would like to see that,” said Ms. Powers. “We have been asked by the capital improvement committee the last two years in a row to get this committee up and running.”

Mr. Knabel then questioned whether Mr. Manter, who is also a sergeant on the police force, should even participate in the discussion. “I think Mr. Manter needs to recuse himself because this is a police matter, and an important police matter,” Mr. Knabel said.

“But it’s not affecting his livelihood,” answered Ms. Powers. “It’s not the department [forming this committee], it’s a town building study.”

“I’m not sure if I agree with that,” Mr. Knabel answered.

Mr. Hodgkinson appeared before selectmen on Feb. 4 to discuss possibly accelerating the schedule and the scope of the library expansion and new police headquarters. In 2007 the space needs committee created a financial plan that scheduled the two projects so they would not add to the town’s current debt service.

Under the plan, construction on the new police station would begin in 2014 at an estimated cost of between $1.8 and $2.2 million.

The library addition would begin in 2015 with an estimated cost of $5.3 million. The plan from the space needs committee did not identify a specific location for the new police station.