The New Ipswich Select Board is moving forward with forming a committee to conduct a search for a new police chief.
Police Chief Tim Carpenter has announced he will be retiring on July 1. The town is hoping to have a permanent hire in place when Carpenter leaves the position.
During its meeting on Tuesday, the Select Board discussed forming a committee to find that replacement.
The board discussed the committee being comprised of Carpenter, possibly another representative from the New Ipswich Police Department, and an additional police chief.
Selectman Jason Somero questioned why the town would require an additional chief on the committee, and whether that would require a consultation fee.
Selectman John Veeser said because police chief is a specialized position, it was better to have people with experience in the field to select the most qualified candidates.
“They might have questions that we wouldn’t know to ask, that we are ignorant of in our experience,” Veeser said.
The board agreed that if they do tap a police chief in addition to Carpenter to serve on the committee, some compensation should be offered, but did not determine a final fee.
Somero also questioned whether the board would move forward with the selection committee if there was interest from the ranking officers currently on the force.
Veeser said the board would consider all applications, but said an interior promotion “wouldn’t be automatic” and that current members of the department could still apply for consideration by the committee.
The board also tasked Town Administrator Scott Butcher with reviewing the current police chief job description and a wage range to offer potential candidates, to be ready by its next meeting, scheduled Tuesday, to start advertising the position.