NEW GLOUCESTER — Residents asked selectmen Monday to appoint an ad-hoc committee to develop guidelines on making committee appointments.

Selectmen held a workshop this summer to discuss the issue at the request of Selectman Josh McHenry, but the public was barred from speaking or participating.

The board plans to hold another workshop Sept. 26 at the community building at 7 p.m. that won’t be televised on the town’s cable TV station. Again, public participation will not be allowed.

In an email sent July 22, Town Manager Sumner Field III said the follow-up workshop will finalize the committee-appointment process.

In an email message to the board Sept. 11 and read Monday, resident Patti Mikkelsen wrote, “I feel strongly that our town should develop written policy regarding the appointment of board and committee members. This is particularly important in cases where the number of applicants exceeds the number of open seats.

“Citizens should be asked to become involved in the process. To date I have not seen any announcement on the town website, Channel 3 bulletin board or newspapers seeking public input,” Mikkelsen said.

Resident Penny Hilton said, “The appointment process is ragged, unclear and unpredictable and looks like favoritism.” And, she said, issues such as attendance and conflicts needs to be addressed in a policy.

“In the last 20 years, three memberships on powerful committees, including Planning Board, Budget Committee and Capital Improvement Planning, have been held by one person,” Hilton said. And, family members, two and three at a time, have served at the same time on the same committees, she said, based on her study tracking appointments.

“You need to find a way for new people to step forward and look for an infusion of new blood,” Hilton said.

This decision is too important to be made in a workshop with just the five-member board, she said.

“People are afraid of losing face for not being appointed,” said Jean Couturier, who objected to recent appointments.

More than a decade ago, applicants met with the Board of Selectmen before the board voted on an appointment, but not in recent years.

Those who currently serve on boards since July were solicited for input on the appointment process, but no citizen input was sought.

In other business, there were no bids on heating system upgrades to town facilities. L&M Electrical was awarded the contract for electrical upgrades for energy efficiency at $9,575.