BUCKFIELD — Selectmen voted Tuesday night to have Town Manager Glen Holmes investigate the legal process for creating a school reserve account.

Holmes said that adopting the payback plan for school carryover funds recommended by RSU 10 would result in a small reduction in taxes over the next two years with a large increase in the third year.

He proposes a more level formula: Taking all of the carryover next year and placing allocated school taxes into the reserve account so over each of the next three years, there would be 3 percent increases.

Under RSU 10 Superintendent Tom Ward’s recommendation, the town would see a 7 percent decrease next year, but then a 6 percent increase the following year, and then a 20 percent increase the last year.

Holmes believes his plan will be saving the taxpayers money for several years. Holmes said he fully supports Ward, but he is looking out for the citizens of Buckfield.

In other business, the board voted to bid out sustainable forest thinning on the Bessey ball field property. Holmes said it was clear at the Special Town meeting that the people wanted to keep Bessey field and the trees needed thinning.

John Lowell said though he had been in favor of selling the field, he could see the feelings of the people after the meeting. “I could tell they were enthusiastic about having a new ball field with the lights here at the center, but they wanted to keep Bessey field,” he said.

The board accepted the resignation of Warren Wright from the Planning Board with deep regret. Wright who was serving as chairman said the workload was too heavy with his other committee obligations.

Wright had also applied to be an alternate to the Planning Board, but Selectmen Chip Richardson said they needed to have the position open for 30 days. The board will accept applications and appoint an alternate at their second meeting in February. Several people spoke in favor of keeping Wright on the board because of his expertise.

Stacey Scotia was moved from alternate to member.

The town is accepting bids for material to construct a sand-salt shed storage building.

The second quarter Swap Shop report was reviewed, which showed 16,422 pounds of items weighed out of the shop at the transfer station. Sign-out sheets showed that 1980 people had taken usable items from the shop this quarter.