The Plaustow Planning Board voted Aug. 6 to constitute a capital improvements program (CIP) subcommittee intended to formalize how the town reviews and recommends multi-year capital projects. The board’s motion establishes a subcommittee with two members appointed by the planning board, two members appointed by the budget committee, two members appointed by the board of selectmen, and an alternate appointed by each of the three participating boards; the planning board will designate the subcommittee chair.

Board members discussed the history of Plaustow’s CIP process and told the meeting that the board of town meeting adopted Article 51 in 1984 authorizing the planning board to prepare and amend a recommended multi-year capital program under RSA 674:5. Participants said practice shifted over time to include budget and selectmen representatives on a committee, and that the current move is aimed at restoring a clear procedural link between the planning board as the document steward and the existing multi-board review process.

The motion to form the subcommittee was introduced by the meeting chair and seconded by Karen Robinson; members passed the motion by voice vote. Discussion next steps included obtaining historical CIP files from Tim (a planning volunteer who previously chaired CIP work) to use as a starting spreadsheet, coordinating meetings with department heads (fire, police and others) and aiming to begin CIP work in September to allow time to prepare warrant-article recommendations for town meeting.

Members said the subcommittee structure used historically — two planning members, two budget members and two selectmen — has worked to bring the three key stakeholders together and that appointing alternates will reduce quorum problems. The board agreed the subcommittee’s finished product will return to the full planning board for review and potential amendments before any warrant articles are drafted.

No spending authorization or warrant articles were approved at the Aug. 6 meeting; the action was to create the subcommittee and to ask the planning board to appoint its representatives at a subsequent meeting.