NORWAY – Selectmen from Norway and Paris reviewed proposed changes to an agreement with the local solid waste board Tuesday evening.

Selectmen met with the board of the Norway-Paris Solid Waste Corp., a quasi-municipal association charged with the management of solid waste generated within the two towns. The towns and the board agreed in November to form an ad-hoc committee to review their 20-year agreement, which was drawn up in 2003.

If adopted, the new agreement would increase the size of the board from five directors to seven and eliminate the use of alternate members.

Norway Town Manager David Holt said the change aims to eliminate confusion over which members may vote. A quorum of four members is needed for a decision, and their terms are limited to three consecutive three-year stints.

Ray Garnett, president of waste board, said that the even-numbered quorum could lead to deadlocks, and selectmen and Planning Boards in both towns are able to conduct business with only three members.

“What you’re doing with this statement is making a maverick out of this board,” Garnett said.

Bruce Hanson, treasurer of waste board, said increasing the board size could also lead to a 3-2 vote being overturned at a consecutive meeting, if the full board was present. He questioned whether the agreement should allow decisions to be made based on a majority present at a meeting.

The board also voiced opposition to a change that would have the board hire a manager to handle day-to-day operations and hire and supervise employees. Garnett said the transfer stations at Brown Street and Frost Hill each have a supervisor and assistant supervisor.

“I’d hate to see you change that, because it works today,” Garnett said.

Janet Jamison, a member of the ad-hoc committee, said the recommendation aims to solidify the role of the corporation as an advisory board.

“We want to take the board out of the day-to-day operations of Norway-Paris Solid Waste,” Jamison said.

The vote necessary to dissolve the corporation was increased from four-fifths to five-sevenths to reflect the change in the number of board members. Municipal officers in either town are also given the authority to jointly recommend dissolution to voters, even if the corporation does not support it.

The ad-hoc committee also removed an arbitration process and replaced it with a paragraph sending disputes that cannot be resolved to Oxford County Superior Court.

Other changes include holding meetings monthly rather than a minimum of twice yearly, and a review of the agreement by the three boards every five years.

The proposed changes will go before voters at both the Norway and Paris town meetings. Both towns must approve the updated agreement for the changes to go into effect.