BUCKFIELD — Selectmen voted 2-1 Tuesday night to choose the next chairman of the Recreation Committee after the next annual town meeting.

Town Manager Glen Holmes gave the board an update on the Recreation Committee bylaws that provoked much discussion. Buckfield Rescue Chief Lisa Buck said it’s a popularity contest in the Recreation Committee and she thinks selectmen should choose the chairman like it does for the rescue board.

Holmes said maybe the board needs to be more astute in choosing the right people for the Recreation Committee and they should be able to pick their own chairman.

Selectmen’s Chairman John Lowell said, “I don’t want to take the choice away from the committee.” He said all the members are on the committee for the right reason.

Selectman Chip Richardson wants an ordinance on the number of members. He said it was a mistake to change the number of members from seven to 14.

Lowell stood by his former decision to have the larger numbers on the committee if there was that much interest.

The board accepted with regret the resignation of Pamela Umsteadt from the Recreation Committee. Richardson wanted to leave the seat open, but Selectman Eileen Hotham recommended the appointment of Roberta Cote.

On another issue, the ethics policy generated more discussion. Richardson wanted selectmen to make all decisions concerning conflict of interest.

Holmes pointed out that if a committee is meeting and someone raises a conflict-of-interest issue about a committee member, the meeting would have to stop and the committee not meet again until selectmen have met and made a decision.

Holmes indicated that this would cause all kinds of problems.

Lowell said he didn’t want selectmen to be judge and jury. “Let the committee deal with the alleged conflict,” he said.

Richardson said he wanted an appeal policy in the ethics policy. Holmes said he would rewrite the policy to include an appeal phrase.

Holmes said he wanted to trust the committee and not have the selectmen be the judge.

Lucille Allen, a member of the Social Services Committee, voiced her disapproval at having to spend the balance of money voters approved in June.

“I submit this report with regret,” she said.

In 2008, voters approved $8,700 for social service agencies, including a one-time gift of $4,500 to Jessie’s Gym.

This year, they again approved $8,700, but the committee decided to allocate only $4,500 of it.

Selectmen advised the committee this month that it must allocate the remaining $4,200.

Allen said she didn’t think people understood that the $4,500 given in 2008 included a one-time gift to Jessie’s Gym. She said the town has approved $4,500 for the last several years, except for the one-time gift last year.

“I’m just here to say that I am unhappy to spend this additional money on social services when it could have gone into roads, or whatever the town needed,” Allen said.