BUCKFIELD – Eighteen residents attended a special Selectmen’s Meeting to discuss a proposed alternate to the Recall Ordinance contained in a recent citizen’s petition.

 Town Manager Glen Holmes had developed the alternate ordinance at the request of the selectmen. It addressed faults the board perceived in the original ordinance.

 The alternate ordinance listed the causes for removal as

 Conviction of a felony crime

Failure to attend at least 90% of meetings

Gross negligence of duties.

Causes for removal are not listed in the other proposed ordinance although it requires that the reason for the recall be listed in the recall petition. The alternate ordinance also included provision for a review board.

 Selectman Eileen Hotham moved that the alternate ordinance be included on the referendum ballot with the one in the petition. Holmes explained that this would give the voters three choices, adopt one of the two proposed ordinances or reject them both. Selectman Robin Buswell seconded the motion.

 After Holmes had compared the two proposed ordinances several residents spoke up.

 One resident said he felt it was too late for the selectmen to add an alternate after they had already agreed to hold a referendum on their proposal. Another said he considered it underhanded. Jennifer Therriault said that if 10 percent of the voters called for a recall then that should be sufficient without a review board. Jason Rowe said that he had compared the recall ordinance of 7 towns when he wrote the Buckfield petition.

 After listening to the public response, Buswell withdrew his second, killing the proposal and ending the meeting.

 While the proposed ordinance will apply to any elected official, Rowe said dissatisfaction with Selectman Chip Richardson, who was not at this meeting, sparked his interest in getting a recall ordinance passed. He said he disapproved of changes in the Recreation Committee proposed by Richardson. An apparent misunderstanding circulated through the town increased interest in the petition.

 At the annual Town Meeting voters took $10,000 from the Rescue Department budget. At that time Holmes informed the town that the money was not taken from any specific item and that the selectmen would rework the budget to remove the money from the Rescue Department. In the revised budget the selectmen cut the $10,000 from the Rescue Department budget after reworking it with Chief Lisa Buck. A rumor got started that the town meeting had specifically rejected a raise for Buck who recently obtained a $50,000 grant for the town. Another rumor said the selectmen, at the urging of Richardson, had given Buck a $4000 raise.

 The annual stipend for Chief Buck is $2120, the same as the Fire Chief’s stipend. She is paid $11.25 per hour in addition to her stipend.

 A public hearing on the proposed ordinance will be held on Tuesday, August 3 at the Buckfield High School. A referendum on the ordinance will be held Tuesday, September 7 at the Town Office.