PARIS – A widespread discussion of potential conflicts of interest on the Board of Selectmen and the subdivision ordinance review committee led to some talk of the full-time code enforcement officer position Monday.

Resident Rick Jackson has asked selectmen on different occasions whether the town should be paying both a full-time tax assessor and full-time code enforcement officer.

Town Manager Sharon Jackson said the full-time CEO position was created to address “ongoing frustration” about delays in issuing building and plumbing permits. She said there has not been a decrease in permit applications, and reducing the position to part time would be detrimental.

“It will impact the services that we currently provide to the town of Paris,” she said.

During the citizens’ comments portion of the meeting, resident Kathy Richardson asked whether the matter was aimed at code enforcement officer Claude Rounds as “a personal vendetta.”

Resident Bob Jewell said new building permit laws coming out of Augusta will necessitate a full-time position.

“If it’s just the person you want to get rid of, get rid of the person,” Jewell said. “Don’t get rid of the position.”

Resident Rick McAlister stated that one of the selectmen, who he didn’t name, had expressed concern over Rounds blocking attempts to subdivide land and that he planned to remove Rounds from his position.

“To me, that is a conflict of interest, because that person may benefit from any decisions that are made,” McAlister said.

Selectman Glen Young protested the accusation. He said he was opposed to the subdivision ordinance because he thinks it prevents families from selling off pieces of land to support their families. He said he became concerned, before he ran for office, that there were plans to only allow construction of $400,000 to $600,000 houses in Paris.

“It isn’t against Claude; it’s against him and Sharon and the board that was going toward that,” Young said. “What I say and what I mean sometimes gets confused.”

Russell Case, chairman of the Planning Board, said the board and the committee to update the subdivision ordinance never had such plans.

“The Planning Board and committee never told anyone they had to build $400,000 to $600,000 houses,” Case said.

A lawsuit filed in Oxford County Superior Court by resident Robert Moorehead charges Young and Chairman Ernest Fitts III with having a conflict of interest in votes related to the subdivision ordinance committee.

In the case of Young, the document claims he sought the office for the purpose of changing the ordinance for personal gain. In the case of Fitts, the suit claims he voted to form the committee after his brother Ron suggested changes to the ordinance, and that he voted to appoint Ron as an alternate member of the Planning Board.

The lawsuit asks, among other things, that the two selectmen’s votes on those matters be voided and that they be forbidden from discussion or votes related to the ordinance.