WILTON – Officials decided to ask voters if the town should pay Mount Blue Community Access TV an amount overlooked by the station two years ago. Only Chairman Rodney Hall opposed the move.

Station director J.P. Fortier told selectmen that Town Manager Peter Neilsen discovered an error in billing recently and brought it to Fortier’s attention. While the town’s fiscal year runs July to June, the station’s year runs November to October. When the town closed its books last year the station had not yet billed it the final amount of $2,648. The remaining monies went to the town’s surplus fund.

Neilsen said once the town’s books close, officials do not have the authority to go back and pay bills from a previous year. He added, however, that with voter approval this year, the monies could be taken from surplus.

While four selectmen agreed to bring the issue to voters this year, Hall argued that it was not the town’s error, and therefore it should not be expected to pay the station now. Hall said he feels that the station should take the loss and prevent the mistake from happening in the future.

Fortier asked officials to also consider asking voters to create a reserve fund for the station to prevent a reoccurrence and allow monies not used to be set aside for future expansion of the station.

Neilsen said that would mean all of the franchise fees would be placed in that account, rather than only a designated amount the voters agree to give the station. He recommended that the town make three payments per year to the station instead. Selectmen agreed.

Selectmen also agreed to recommend to voters that they raise $2,500 each for the American Legion and the Farmington-Wilton Chamber of Commerce.

Last year voters approved $2,500 for a veteran’s memorial. At that time the American Legion told officials it would come back this year to ask for additional funds to help pay for the monument, which cost about $10,000.

The monument has already been paid for and sits outside the American Legion Hall. It is dedicated to all veterans past and present and therefore contains no names.

Chamber of Commerce President Steve Barker told officials the Chamber is asking for an increase of $500 over last year due to a rise in operating costs.

Hall asked whether other area towns included in the guide contributed monies to the Chamber. Barker explained that while the Chamber tries to include all towns in the SAD 9 area, it concentrates its efforts on Wilton and Farmington and therefore does not ask other towns for funding.

Both requests will be presented to the town’s finance committee, which meets May 5. Then the requests will be presented to voters in June.

In other business, officials tabled making a decision about how much demolition debris a contractor will be allowed to bring to the town’s transfer station.

In February officials decided to allow residents to bring in only one pickup truck load of demolition debris per person per day. They agreed that amounts larger than this will be handled at private expense.

A contractor, who was recently refused at the transfer station, questioned the policy. He asked whether the per person rule meant that a contractor could bring in one load per truck, employee or job.

Officials directed Neilsen to research the issue, including the possibility of renegotiating the town’s contract with the Jay Transfer Station to accept contractors if they pay the necessary fees. They plan to discuss the issue at their next meeting.