PARIS – The town’s Comprehensive Plan Committee heard suggestions on how to increase awareness of the plan at a public hearing Tuesday night at the Community Hall on Paris Hill.

Paris has been operating without a comprehensive plan since the town turned down a proposed plan in 1993. Town Manager Sharon Jackson said the lack of a plan is harmful to the town, as certain grants will not be approved if the town does not have one. She said the Paris Utility District was recently denied a grant for this reason.

“We need a comprehensive plan,” said Raymond S. Glover, a committee member who is also a selectman. “We need some guidelines for setting the direction of the town.”

Glover said he believes the 1993 plan was turned down because the town did not want the state dictating its actions. The state must approve a comprehensive plan for it to go into effect.

“This document doesn’t make law,” Glover assured the audience. He called the 136-page document a plan for the issues the town will likely face over the course of the next 10 years.

Glover praised fellow committee members Cynthia Burmeister and Franca Ainsworth for their work researching data for the plan.

Comments and questions from the attending residents mostly aimed to increase public awareness of the plan before it goes to vote. William Burmeister proposed an executive summary of the plan, and a straw vote showed heavy support for this idea.

“I’ve learned that sometimes people need to be told something seven different times,” said Anne Stanley, who suggested that a brochure summarizing the plan be written up.

Jackson agreed with the idea, calling it “a perfect example of something we can do.”

Bob Jewell, who is also a planning board member, asked the committee which areas must stay in their natural state. Committee member John Maloney replied that the plan does not have any such restrictions, but it does advise that development proceed with caution in some areas.

The committee will hold two more public hearings on the comprehensive plan. One will take place on May 17 and the other, a statutory requirement prior to the town meeting, will take place on May 29.

The selectmen will decide in their meeting on April 23 whether the vote on the plan will go before the town in the annual town meeting or in a referendum vote.

Jackson expressed her preference for the referendum vote. She believes such a vote will allow about 2,000 residents, including senior citizens, to vote, whereas a town meeting vote will only go before those who are able to attend. She estimated that a town meeting might see votes from 150 to 250 residents.