AUBURN – Auburn landlords last week said they’d rather pay higher property taxes than trash collection fees.

“Spread the wealth. That’s what I say,” said Lewiston resident Marcel Roberts, who owns seven apartment buildings in Auburn. “If you raise property taxes, it’s spread over everybody in town and everybody pays less. This way, it’s discrimination against landlords.”

Roberts was among 40 area landlords who crammed the City Council chambers in the Auburn City Building to complain about the city’s plan to begin charging for trash collections at apartments of four or more units.

City Manager Pat Finnigan said the city hopes to begin charging $1.54 per apartment per week beginning in December – about $80 annually per unit. The new fee should generate $30,000 for the city in the current fiscal year, if approved.

Town questions inspection

SUMNER – Fire Chief Bob Stewart said he believes a recent inspection of the town’s firetrucks was poorly done, perhaps to the point of endangering the town.

Stewart reported to selectmen Oct. 14 that there are documented discrepancies in the reports made by the inspection company. He showed the board three checklists filled out by the company employee who conducted the inspections.

Among items checked off as having been inspected are a number of parts that Sumner’s trucks don’t actually have.

The checklists show that pumps on the trucks were tested at 30 inches of vacuum, although the pumps are only capable of producing 23 inches of vacuum.

In addition, the town was billed for five hours of labor. Stewart said he doesn’t believe the inspections lasted more than four hours.

Paris school site OK’d by state

AUGUSTA – The state Board of Education last week unanimously approved the site planned for the Paris elementary school.

“I will ask the school board to authorize a warrant and referendum vote to purchase the site,” said SAD 17 Superintendent Mark Eastman. “The referendum will allow us to buy the land and use bond funds, not local funds. The interest that we pay on the bond notes will be a project cost.”

The warrant will ask voters to appropriate $210,000 from the district’s undesignated fund to purchase the 16.2 acres of land on the corner of High Street and Hathaway Road. It further authorizes the board of directors to issue bonds or notes to refund the undesignated fund balances.

“The voter approval allows us to pay costs associated with the evaluating and acquiring of the land,” Eastman said.

Selectmen hear

of tax problem

PERU – Selectmen Oct. 13 heard from the town clerk that the town had still received no communication from a delinquent taxpayer, and next week the board is scheduled to sign papers to begin the process of selling a portion of the property to pay the taxes.

The action will be publicized three weeks before actually claiming the property.

Selectman Andy St. Pierre said the man had several years of reminders to make arrangements with the town for payments.

Pulsifer said the board always gives ample notice before action is taken in delinquent tax situations.