PARIS — Voters will decide Tuesday, Nov. 8, whether to keep the traditional town meeting or switch to voting on the warrant at the polls.

Selectman Scott Buffington said the latter is an attempt to get more people to participate.

Before the Oct. 24 selectmen meeting, a hearing was held on the question. Before that, a special town meeting was held on the upcoming sewer project with the Paris Utility District.

“Tonight is a great example of this,” Buffington said at the meeting. “I think we had 18 people come out and spend three-quarters of a million dollars in a town of 5,000 people,” he said. “The important thing is we do our best to target as many people as possible. … By doing this, it doesn’t strip your rights.”

Town meeting is traditionally held in the morning of the third Saturday in June. Residents meet in the fire station, discuss the warrant and vote on each article. Some small business owners have said it’s hard for them to make because they’re open during that time.

If voters switch to deciding articles at the polls, they would go to the fire station on Tuesday, June 13, 2017.

Buffington said each article could have a recommended amount from selectmen, the Budget Committee or citizens.

Voters would have 12 hours to get to the polls instead of a couple of hours at a town meeting.

“The thing that excites me the most about it is people will be able to do an absentee vote,” Buffington said.

“Annual town meeting is the truest form of democracy we have. … It’s hard to give that up,” he said. “The flip side of that is we don’t get enough participation.

“I am offering a solution to help change,” he said. “I am trying to get away from the same old same old. We’ve been doing this since 1776.”

Kathy Richardson, a candidate for selectman, worried about removing budget discussion time from residents.

Buffington said discussion on spending would happen ahead of time.

“I think that people have the right to ask questions of their elected and appointed officials and I don’t want to take that away,” Richardson said.

Bill Miller, another candidate for selectman, said the budget discussion would be held before people head to the polls.

“Voting in secret will probably have people give more true opinions,” Miller said.

Board of Selectmen Chairman Janet Jamison said she doesn’t approve of the change, but agrees with asking voters their opinion.

“I am not pleased about it,” she said. “I think town meeting is important. We’re going to put it out there and let people decide … because that’s how we do things.”

Resident Peter Kilgore said he favored holding town meeting on Saturday morning in June, but was concerned with the budget process.

“How many people are going to have a copy of the budget and know what they’re voting for unless they come to the meeting?” he asked.

Resident Jackie Lynch said she didn’t object to the idea of changing the town meeting format, but echoed Kilgore’s sentiments. She wondered how people would be educated about the budget, other than attending a hearing.

Buffington said he hoped the word could be spread through the local news outlets, including Norway Paris Community Television.

Resident Gary Vaughn sees a referendum as a compromise.

“I think more people should decide which direction we’re going to go,” he said.

Town Manager Vic Hodgkins mentioned the shorter budget timeline if voters chose to have a referendum.

“I think this format is going to squish and not in a positive way … the entire budget season,” he said.

Later this month, Hodgkins and department heads will begin working on the fiscal 2017 budget, he said.

Town Clerk Liz Knox said the town meeting warrant usually has 30 or more questions.

“My only concern is people getting in the ballot booth after answering the first 10 questions (and) saying, ‘OK, this is enough,’” she said.

Knox said she has to have absentee ballots available 30 days in advance, which means they need to be ready at the Town Office by May 12, 2017.

“Your budget would have to be approved and ready to go by the 24th of April,” she said.

Hodgkins said this past budget cycle, selectmen approved recommendations on May 10.

“I have faith that everybody will adapt to make that happen,” Buffington said about the abbreviated budget timeline.

If voters decide to have a referendum and “if everybody hated it, we could back to regular town meeting,” Jamison said.

Knox confirmed that’s correct.

“The selectboard has the right to determine the town meeting format,” she said.

The polls in Paris will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8, at the Paris Fire Station, 137 Western Ave.

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