PLAINVILLE - The town will lose its planner if a proposed $650,000 Proposition 2 1/2 override doesn't pass, leaving the planning board without administrative help.

To help close the town's $1.2 million budget gap, the town planner position, currently occupied by Amy Love, has been eliminated.

If the override is approved, the position would be set at part time.

The town planner is responsible for processing and managing applications that come in for new developments, subdivisions, roads and site plans - from posting and holding public hearings to writing decisions.

The planner monitors all on-site construction and makes sure developers are following the plans that the planning board approved. The position is also responsible for coordinating meetings of the planning board, managing the budget and working to get grant money.

Last year, Love was able to secure a $10,000 grant for an open space plan, which has been completed and approved by the state.

The planner acts as a liaison to other departments, rewrites or comes up with new zoning bylaws and helps to implement smart growth initiatives, which seek to preserve open space and consolidate growth in commercial areas.

The planner is also responsible for making sure that board decisions are written correctly and deadlines are met.

It is a one-person office.

Without an override, there will be no one to support the planning board.

Love has served as town planner for five years.

"I think it is a necessity to have a town planner, whether full time or part time," Love said. "I think it's a very crucial role in the future development of the town, ensuring that all the bylaws are enforced and making sure all the rules and regulations are being followed by the developers that come in and build."

"I think that some times other officials people don't understand the importance of the planning role and the crucial aspect it plays in the growth of the town," she said.

The planning board hasn't yet figured out a solution if the override does not pass and the planner position is eliminated, though they may rely heavily on town counsel for help. "There was no plan put in place for how it would be handled," Love said.

The administrative work will likely be handled by other secretaries without a planning background, though there will a shortage of secretaries available in town hall without an override because five of those 12 positions will be cut.

The town didn't have a planner seven years ago, and was part of a consortium that provided some services, but Town Administrator Joseph Fernandes does not believe going without a planner is a palatable option.

In fact, Fernandes said the loss of a planner could be catastrophic for the town.

"I'm not suggesting the (planning board) can survive," Fernandes said. "I'm not suggesting we're a better community without a planner, just as I'm not suggesting we're a better community with two less police officers. The budget is not a solution, it doesn't make us run better. It just means we can deliver some service. We should have a planner."

Annual town meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Wood School.

Residents will vote on two budgets: one, with a $650,000 override factored in and one without.

They will also vote on how the override money would be appropriated in the event an override passes. An override election is scheduled for June 16.