Richard Meskins, a town staff member, presented a draft house-numbering policy to the Select Board and asked the board to review it ahead of a potential vote at the Feb. 25 meeting.

“The draft of the policy is being provided to you for review tonight. We're asking for the court to potentially take action to complete the policy at your meeting on February 25,” Richard Meskins said.

Meskins told members the town has used an informal addressing practice for decades and that a formal policy would clarify how numbers are assigned, which side of the street gets odd or even numbers, and how similar-sounding road names should be handled to avoid emergency-response delays. He said the assessor is required to report proper addresses to 911 annually and that failure to comply previously prevented the police department from getting a grant in an earlier year.

Meskins said the draft does not propose changing existing street names or renumbering properties now; rather, it provides a consistent process for future assignments and for use in planning, permitting and emergency response. He said the draft incorporated feedback from the highway, planning, assessing and fire departments and that staff will return on Feb. 25 if the board has suggested changes.

Select Board members praised the effort as a step toward consistency to support anticipated growth and permitting; no formal action was taken at this meeting, and Meskins invited written comments before the Feb. 25 agenda deadline.