Board approves P&PC charge

PARIS —  The board of selectmen approved a formal charge for the Policy and Procedures Committee during its meeting Tuesday.

The charge is unchanged from the draft presented to the board last month with the exception that the P&PC is directed to meet "as needed" instead of on a monthly basis.

The amendment was suggested by Board Chair Sam Elliot, who said the scheduling was not uncommon to other committees.

"I don't know that the policy committee needs to meet if ... we haven't assigned them something to do," Elliot said.

"It doesn't need to be a committee that feels it always needs to be generating another policy."

Under the charge, the P&PC will, with the board's direction, review existing ordinances and policies for grammar and content, consistency with statutes and town ordinances and suitability consistent with the needs of the town.

Vice Chair Bob Kirchherr said the charge made it clear that the board directed the committee's work.

"The responsibility of initiating any activity of this committee resides with us as the selectmen, not with the town manager and not with the committee itself," he said.

Kirchherr also outlined what he thought the board's responsibilities were –  charging the P&PC to redraft a policy, reviewing the committee's recommendations, suggesting additional edits, accepting a draft and preparing a calendar for adoption.

Selectman Robert Wessels suggested the board also consider "following up" on implementation of the revised policies and ordinances.

The board approved the new P&PC charge but did not think it was necessary to detail the board's responsibility in the document.