PARIS — A draft of an update to the town’s Traffic Ordinance Restricting Vehicle Weight caused an argument at Monday’s selectmen’s meeting.

John Richardson, chairman of the Policy and Procedure Committee, was explaining the rewrite of the ordinance, which reworded and clarified existing policy, when a statement about weight limits on certain roads angered some, including Selectman Gerald Kilgore.

Selectman Robert Kirchherr had asked for a clarification on whether owners of vehicles that exceeded posted weight limits could use those roads in order to access their homes or businesses.

Richardson said the ordinance does restrict use, and that those residents and business owners would have to get a permit from the road commissioner, a title currently held by Town Manager Phil Tarr. Richardson said that restriction was already in existence.

The rules, Richardson said, “Do not make any distinction on what business you have on that road.” He cited Kilgore, who owns a contracting company, as an example of someone who would need a permit, as Oxford Street has a 20,000-pound weight limit.

“Why don’t you just take everything away and drive everybody out of town?” Kilgore said. “My business has been down there since before you showed up on Paris Hill.” Kilgore said his truck weighs about 60,000 pounds.

Richardson said he hadn’t changed anything. He said there’s no cost for a permit, but the user of the road may have to provide a bond “to prevent all the citizens in the town from having to pay for the maintenance of that road because someone’s 60,000-pound dump truck tore it up.”

The limit governs the registered carrying weight of the vehicle but doesn’t consider whether the truck is carrying a load onto that street.

Richardson said whether to issue the permit, and under what conditions, would be left to the discretion of the road commissioner.

Chairman Sam Elliot called the ordinance “pretty unsatisfactory.” For one, he said, the rules don’t consider the actual weight when the truck uses the road. Richardson said it wouldn’t be practical to weigh vehicles as they enter roads that have weight limits.

Elliot also expressed concerns at the power of the road commissioner to OK or deny use permits for heavy vehicles. There’s also language that says that if the road commissioner thinks a road is being damaged by a heavy truck, he can pull the permit.

A resident in the crowd urged the town to get rid of that rule, which he said could hurt him and other contractors and truck drivers.

The board voted to table the issue and take a closer look at the issue at a later date.

“I don’t think the town of Paris is setting a very good example for business people in town. You want to shut the fireworks off completely because you don’t live on Paris Hill,” Kilgore said.

“You don’t want … dump trucks going up and down Paris Hill. They don’t want you to take your dump truck home. Then people complain because there’s not any business in town? Give me a break.”

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