PARIS — The Select Board began work Monday on the 2022-23 municipal budget by looking at the Fire Department’s request.

The proposal is 5% more than this fiscal year, which “really isn’t that bad for this day and age,” Town Manager Dawn Noyes said. The major increases are in wages, which will increase by $10,000 and feature a 2% raise, radios and phones.

Call volume has been increasing, with the department responding to 100 more compared to 10 years ago, Fire Chief Mark Blaquiere said.

The chief said manpower remains a challenge during daytime hours.

Town officials are reviewing the issue, Noyes said, and will present all options at a future meeting. Solutions will likely not include the return of a full-time or per diem model.

During citizen comments, a person who owns more than a dozen properties in town expressed his frustration that the Norway-Paris Sold Waste facility was closed on a recent Sunday when no one showed up for work. It was closed the day before for the holiday and is normally closed on Monday.

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He asked the town to come up with a backup plan if such a situation occurs in the future.

Select Board Chairman Christopher Summers described that weekend as a “perfect storm.”

Noyes, who sits on the NPSW board, apologized and described it as an unforeseen circumstance. She promised that the board would address the situation.

Officials in the Town Office are still working on the final version of the Building Code Ordinance, which the board discussed at its last meeting.

“Seems like every time we read it, we say should we do this, should we have put this in, should we have done that,” Noyes said. “So, I don’t want to put it out there and for it not to be complete.”

In other business, the board approved a liquor license renewal for The Hydrant at 187 Main St.

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