PARIS – An embattled town committee voted to recommend its own disbandment to the selectmen Tuesday evening.

The ad hoc committee to review the subdivision ordinance made the decision in a 6-1 vote, with two members abstaining and one member absent. The meeting took place the evening after a heated selectmen’s meeting in which the board ultimately decided not to take any action against a committee member accused of bias.

Selectmen voted 3-2 on Jan. 28 to create the committee to address a list of concerns brought before the board by Ron Fitts, brother of Chairman Ernest Fitts III. The committee, consisting of the Planning Board and five residents appointed by the selectmen, was formed on Feb. 25 and began meeting on March 4.

Resident Robert Moorehead has filed an appeal in Oxford County Superior Court, charging that Ernest Fitts III and Selectman Glen Young showed a conflict of interest in their support for the committee. The appeal asks that their votes be rescinded and that the two selectmen be forbidden from discussions or votes on the subdivision ordinance.

The ordinance, which updated a 31-year-old document, narrowly passed in a June referendum vote of 487-468.

On Monday, selectmen took no action on an agenda item asking that the board “to discuss, review, and act to diminish the obvious conflict of interest that has been established by placing a self-admitted biased individual to the ad hoc committee.” The item references committee member Jack Richardson, who signed a letter recommending the committee’s dissolution in a Feb. 19 letter.

Richardson also signed a petition for restraint of proceedings, included in Moorehead’s appeal. According to the appeal, Richardson tried unsuccessfully to enforce state conflict of interest laws in the matter with the Maine Attorney General office and Oxford County District Attorney’s Office.

Bob Ripley, chairman of the committee, recommended dissolution in an opening statement in which he called the appeal “frivolous.”

“I think it would be a good idea if we don’t spend a lot of money and spin our wheels,” said member David Andrews.

“It was very obvious from the meeting [Monday] night that several individuals have a vendetta against Mr. Young and Mr. Fitts,” said member Sid Record.

Ron Fitts, who was present as an alternate member of the Planning Board, said he believed disbanding the committee was the preferable option in the face of legal action.

Richardson voted against recommending disbandment. He was unavailable for comment on Tuesday evening.

Prior to Tuesday evening, the committee met three times. During these meetings, it unanimously voted to recommend allowing subdivisions to have gravel roads if they meet town specifications, allowing the appeals to go before the Board of Appeals rather than Superior Court, and allowing the Planning Board to decide whether a subdivision’s erosion and sedimentation control plan should be reviewed by the Oxford County Soil and Water Conservation District.

The committee also recommended, in a 5-4 vote, that the Planning Board should be allowed to grant waivers, but returned the issue to the table after another 5-4 vote. The committee also decided in 5-4 votes to recommend removing language about the frequency of street frontage, allowing subdivisions with 15 or more lots to have two connections to existing rather than public roads, and expanding the definition of a minor subdivision from nine or fewer lots to 13 or fewer.

“My initial reaction would be for this group to submit the recommendations that were made to the Planning Board,” Selectman Raymond Glover.