Buckfield changes its meeting format

BUCKFIELD — Starting next meeting, citizens will be given a specific time to ask questions and make comments to the board, Board Chair Robin Buswell announced at Tuesday's meeting.

The change is a departure from the current format that allows citizens to voice their opinions and ask questions on agenda items at any point during the meeting, when recognized by the chair.

"When I started this ride a little over two years ago, I wanted everybody's participation and input and we definitely got that," Buswell told residents.

"We're going to have to try to throttle that down a little bit – we got involved in some debates in the last meeting and that's not what the selectmen's meetings are about," he continued.

Buswell announced there would now be an alloted period for citizen's comments at the beginning of the meeting –  the rest of the time would be reserved for the board to conduct town business.

"The selectmen's meeting is about conducting the business of the town. It's not debates, it's not a workshop," Buswell said.

Buswell told residents that, starting next week, the board meeting agenda would be available on the town's website for anyone to review the Wednesday before the meeting.

In other news, the board:

• Accepted bids – $5,200.99 and  $600 – on two properties acquired by the town through tax-lien foreclosures.

• Voted to return a field lighting system to the town of Oxford. The lighting system was on loan from Oxford but was never installed.

• Discussed a $3,000 annual arrangement the town has with a company for sidewalk snow removal. The board voted on a motion to formalize the arrangement as a contract.