RUMFORD – Charter Commission members believe selectmen need flexibility when hiring a town manager.

That, and an ongoing discussion of whether the elected positions of town clerk and treasurer and tax collector should remain that way or be changed to appointed were the major issues as the group continued its way through the 55-year-old town charter late Thursday afternoon.

The Charter Commission, which meets on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month, met for the first time since former Town Manager Stephen Eldridge left because he did not meet the charter’s residency requirement.

Commission Chairman Walter Buotte said his group does not plan to propose a change to the residency section, but it does hope to provide flexibility as to when a town manager can be hired and amend unclear language in the 28-page document.

“The language is so restrictive that it leaves no discretion,” said Joseph Roberts, vice chairman of the commission.

According to the charter, now a town manager must be appointed no later than the second Thursday in June, with tenure starting in July.

With Eldridge’s departure last week, selectmen hope to get a suitable candidate by sometime in April. Under the current language of the charter, that person couldn’t be issued a contract for more than two months.

“We need words to hire someone for at least a year,” said commission member and former Selectman Jim Thibodeau.

“The time of hiring should start the tenure, and the one year of probation effective from there,” added Roberts.

Roberts also said that regardless of actions that happened in the past involving the hiring of the town manager, “We’ve got to clean up the language. It is very confusing and difficult to abide by.

Buotte said the commission plans to devote considerable time to a section in the charter regarding the town manager.

“We need to work on when a town manager can be hired and the appointed dates,” he said.

The matter of elected vs. appointed positions will also be taken up in depth at later meetings.

Buotte said the issue isn’t so much one of appointed vs. elected, but one of accountability.

“There is no accountability,” he said.

He said the commission plans to have some proposed changes to the charter ready for selectmen’s review by April. Residents will have the final say on whether to change the document, or leave it as is, during a regular or special town meeting election.