LUDLOW, Maine — Selectmen accepted new policies at their last regular business meeting held March 11, 2015.
Terry Beals, moderator of a special meeting on the driveway ordinance, noted their were not many in attendance, but “by law, we are going to do [the meeting] the right way,” he said. “The ordinance has been circled enough that it is no surprise to anyone.”
Hearing no questions for discussion, Therese Lussier made a motion to accept the driveway ordinance for the town of Ludlow as written. It was passed 7-0.
“People who have asked me about the ordinance think it is a great idea,” said Diane Hines, town manager.
Chairman David Stevens added, “The ordinance makes it uniform for the whole town.”
And, Beals, noted, “It also brings us up to state standards.”
Those with existing driveways are not affected by the new ordinance. They are already constructed and are grandfathered in. However, the ordinance does require a permit for any construction of a new driveway entrance or any repairs/modifications of any existing driveway entrance going forward.
“Thanks, planning board, for your hard work and diligence, as this is an important piece of legislation for the town,” said Stevens. “It does not penalize anyone. It protects the taxpayers’ dollars when new driveways are connected to the infrastructure.”
The selectmen also signed release deeds on foreclosed properties within the town.
“Back taxes were not paid and the town foreclosed on the property,” Hines explained. “Now, the taxes are paid so we need to deed back the property.”
Hines informed the selectmen that the taxes for the town were all current.
“We are looking out for every taxpayer,” said Stevens. “We can feel sorry, but it is not fair to other taxpayers. Those who were paying their taxes were footing the bill for those who were not. Before Diane came into office, taxes went back six or seven years and were not being collected.”
There are still two foreclosures pending. If the town forecloses on those properties, they historically have put the property on the market. If the property is of use to the town, the town will keep it and insure it.
“The town does not want to be a landlord,” Stevens added.
“We changed the fiscal year in April and we did not send a supplemental tax bill. We used the town’s unexpended balance,” Stevens explained. “We waited for the new fiscal year, so homeowners had a reprieve of about four months.”
In other business, the town accepted a public participation opportunity to be scheduled prior to each business portion of the selectmen’s meeting. An individual has the opportunity to speak during the 15-minute public comment period.
“The board does not have to respond to anything said during public comment,” Stevens explained. “If there is a question, it will be noted and researched. This policy allows us to do our business without the meeting getting too disruptive.”
The goal is to allow any constituent of the town to speak at public meetings on issues of concern. The chairman can interact with the audience, but the chairman also has the ability at any time or for any reason to cut off public comments.
“If someone comes and they did not know something on the agenda before they got here,” Stevens said, “and it is of interest to the person, as long as they are polite and professional, the person can ask questions.” Any interaction allowed by the chairman with the audience must be in relation to agenda items. A person must be recognized by the chairman before speaking.
With the town nearing the budget adoption process, Stevens noted the town is looking at a five-year budget for capital improvements. He asked the selectmen to begin thinking about setting up a separate fund balance of 10 to 20 percent. Right now, the budget has it built in.
“If something unexpected happens, we would have some unrestricted funds to use,” he said.
As spring comes, two culverts and several sections of roads need repair.
“We need to figure out if we want to put a lot of money into something and keep [patching] or look at getting it fixed,” said Stevens. “We need to know how we want to fund [repairs] and where to put the money. We are trying to ease the pain on the taxpayers as best as we can.”
Selectman Jeff Condon also has been researching the withdrawal process for Ludlow from RSU 70. The town sought to do that a few years ago, but came up short in its support.
