POLAND — Selectmen on Tuesday tabled action on creating a new position at the town office to support economic development activities.

Selectman Walter Gallagher said that he didn’t want to hold the discussion without members of the town’s Community and Economic Development Committee present.

Gallagher also said he wanted to know how the position would be funded.

Town Manager Rosemary Roy said that the new position would be paid for out of money earmarked for the town’s downtown tax increment financing district.

“The goal is to keep our economic development efforts going, and going strong,” Roy said.

Gallagher also wanted to know about the effectiveness of the town’s economic development efforts, noting that many people have expressed concern that the town has spent a great deal of money to support economic development, “but the return isn’t there.”

“And exactly what would this person be doing?” Gallagher said. “Do we want economic development support staff or do we want a full-time planner?”

Selectman Steve Robinson agreed that the board really ought to hold a workshop in conjunction with members of Poland’s CEDC present and suggested members of the board of selectmen submit questions well in advance of the workshop.

The board agreed to hold a workshop on the matter on Sept. 26, giving the CEDC a chance to prepare for the workshop at its Sept. 5 meeting.

In other business, selectmen agreed to set the town’s fiscal year 2014 tax commitment and tax rate at its next regularly scheduled meeting, Sept. 3, rather than call a special meeting late next week.

Roy said she expected to have information of the town’s valuation available early next week, which should give board members time to digest the ramifications of alternate rates.

Selectmen also agreed to enter into a consent agreement with Daniel and Torey Murphy as a way to resolve the matter of the Murphy’s shoreland zoning violations on their Middle Range Pond property.

The consent agreement allows both parties to avoid court costs and corrects damage done when trees were cut down along the shoreline.

Selectmen also deferred action another six months, giving the town and Middle Range Pond property owner Ernest Ray time to determine what ought to be done about his apparently illegal apartment over his garage. The extension expires in March of 2014.

In response to selectman Stan Tetenman’s question on what effect changes in the law regarding the upkeep and maintenance of veterans’ graves would have on the town, Roy said that Public Works Director Tom Learned was inventorying grave sites and would be preparing a request for the 2015 budget.

Roy also reported that plans for creating a small park near the Waterhouse Brook dam are proceeding, as are plans for the reconstruction of the Five Corners intersection.