Simmering tension between Planning Board members erupted into an argument over one of the board’s most banal functions, how it records meeting minutes.

“I’ve been on this board for nine years and have never, ever seen anything like this,” said Stephen Gonsalves, the board’s longest serving member. “It’s never going to stop. Where do we go from here? It’s like a merry-go-round and it’s ridiculous.”

Gonsalves spoke at the board’s Jan. 20 meeting where members argued how much information should be included in the minutes.

The discussion turned into an argument where member Eileen Marum accused Robert Lane of violating a conflict of interest law violation. The meeting ended with repeated calls to adjourn as it reached the two-hour mark, despite there being one agenda item, a discussion on the board's budget.

Members became frustrated when Vice Chair Norm Hills introduced a number of edits to the minutes, which are a brief overview of previous meetings. Members review and revise minutes before they become public record.

Hills asked that the decision to move a Planning Board meeting from the Town House to the Music Hall reflect the lengthy discussion that took place. As written, the minutes said member Eileen Marum made a motion to move the location and nothing else.

Hills noted he’s served on municipal boards in some capacity for the past 40 years.

“History has proven that if you put the information in there it’s valuable because you end up going back and looking at it,” he said. “It provides accountability. The bottom line is it provides an accurate reflection of what happened.”

Gonsalves said he wanted to keep the minutes to a minimum and made a motion to make that the board’s policy.

The motion passed 7-2 with Hills and Marum opposed.

Since being elected to the board, Marum and some members have clashed over a number of issues. Shortly after that vote, another point of contention was added to the list when the minutes from the board’s Sept. 15 fell under scrutiny.

According to Marum, the original minutes, as drafted by board clerk Robert Lane, were critical of Marum who allegedly criticized the board’s secretary enough to prompt her exit from the room.

“The comments and tone were purely conjecture on [Lane’s] part and a review of the [meeting] DVD substantiates it was a spurious claim,” Marum said.

Marum had requested a transcript of the meeting to back up her claim. That transcript was included in the Sept. 15 meeting minutes. Lane asked his personal assistant to transcribe the notes at no cost to the town.

Marum said that move “has all the appearance of violating the conflict of interest law.”

“I’d like to know if your firm is benefiting from this inside track information,” she said.

Lane said it was not a business request, but a personal one.

Fed up with the discussion, member Rico Ferrari interjected and asked Marum: “Have you been trained as a lawyer?”

“This is getting totally out of hand,” Ferrari told Chair Stephen Kokkins. “You’re giving her a platform for ridiculousness.”

Soon after, board members voted to end the meeting.