PARIS — An application for a weekend charity tollbooth from the Paris Fireman’s Auxiliary was approved by selectmen Monday, but it left one selectman questioning how many such events the town should approve.

“With all due respect to the auxiliary and everything they do, I find this kind of thing very offensive,” Selectman Sam Elliot said.

“It’s very annoying if you’re trying to drive through town and get from one place to another and you’re blocked off by what’s going on out in the street,” he said. “It happens over by the high school routinely.”

Every year, the Fireman’s Auxiliary stations members near Moore Park on Route 26 to solicit donations from passing motorists. Fire Department Deputy Chief Willie Buffington said it is the group’s biggest fundraiser of the year.

Donations went to firefighters who were sick or in the hospital and paid for flags and placards for the graves of deceased members of the department, Buffington said.

The event will take place either Feb. 15-16 or Feb. 22-23. Firefighters ask for donations for a few hours in the morning and evening on the two days, Buffington said. If drivers don’t want to donate, they can continue driving, he noted.

Elliot questioned how often the board could authorize these types of charity events and how many groups could do it.

“Are there any limits on it?” he asked.

Board Chairman Bob Kirchherr said there were no limits on the number or type of groups that could apply for a charity tollbooth, but it happened so infrequently that he did not think it was a cause for concern.

“If we got one a week or one a month, I would say maybe we would have to deal with it, but for this one particular request I don’t think we need to establish a long-term policy because it is not a recurring activity,” Kirchherr said.

pmcguire@sunjournal.com