PARIS — A recall ordinance that stirred a heated debate at Monday’s selectmen’s meeting will appear on the ballot for the November election, according to the interim town manager.

Michael Thorne said the ordinance, which stipulates the procedure for the removal of elected officials other than school board directors, was appearing on the November ballot as of Tuesday morning. Thorne also said Monday night that the ordinance would be appearing, although a petition calling for the same ordinance to be placed on the ballot would not.

The proposed ordinance would schedule an election for the potential recall of an elected official if the town is presented with a petition with a number of signatures equaling at least 10 percent of the total number of voters at the past gubernatorial election. Officials less than four months into a term or 60 days away from finishing a multi-year term would be exempted, and an official would not be subject to another recall election for six months, if not removed in an initial recall attempt.

At Monday’s meeting, selectmen were questioned if the board was attempting to keep the recall ordinance from the ballot. Rick McAlister accused selectman Troy Ripley of saying he did not want proposed amendments to the subdivision ordinance placed on the November ballot because it would force a vote on the recall ordinance. Ripley said he had encouraged more control measures for the recall ordinance, and that McAlister had taken his remarks out of context.

“Whether I agree or disagree with the recall petition, that petition was submitted legally and I don’t believe that the select board have the arbitrary ability to just decide that they don’t want that to go to the vote,” McAlister said.

The petition, presented to selectmen in July, asked that the recall ordinance drafted by the Policy and Procedures Committee and presented that same month be put on the November ballot. Resident Bob Jewell, who presented the petition, said it intended to prevent repeated tabling of the ordinance by the board.

“Everybody in this town, the two groups that we seem to have here, the two factions, all agree there needs to be a recall ordinance, and they have from the beginning,” Jewell said Monday. “At least put it out there, and let’s see what the people want. Give us a chance to speak.”

Selectman Raymond Glover said the board unanimously approved holding a public hearing on the ordinance and putting it on the November ballot in a July 27 vote. He said the board had violated state law by not acting on the petition in a timely manner.

“However, because the same ordinance, or the same language, is scheduled to be on the ballot, my belief is that the will of the people is still being served,” he said.

Ripley said there was a need for improvement in the ordinance. He said it did not specify causes for removal, did not include safeguards against a recall of the entire board, and did not prevent someone from collecting signatures on multiple documents for a potential second recall attempt if one failed.

“What I’m saying is this: In its rawest draft form, at a minimum, the town’s attorney said it’s got one paragraph that’s not consistent with state law,” he said.

Resident Jean Smart said a “consistent pattern” is needed for addressing issues regarding ordinances presented to the town. Smart said a new subdivision ordinance petitioned to the town last December was scheduled for a vote in June with several public hearings.

Ripley said he considered the process an attempt to “stonewall” or “derail” the petitioned subdivision ordinance, and thought that the public hearings would allow for public input and changes. Smart said such changes could not take place without approval from each resident who signed the petition, though Ripley disputed the claim, saying it was “one opinion of one lawyer.”

Thorne said a town committee or working group does not have the authority to prevent ordinances from appearing on the ballot. He said the amendments to the subdivision ordinance were not appearing on the November ballot because the Board of Selectmen was receiving them for the first time on Monday and ballot items need to be approved within 45 days of the vote.

Ripley asked that public hearings on the recall ordinance be held before the vote. Glover replied that no changes could be made to the document at the hearings.

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