PERU – Hearings on a subdivision and three town meeting articles drew heated debate at times Monday night as residents questioned officials about taxes and voting on the warrant and budget.
The 52-acre subdivision by Gerald Arthur and Michelle Leavitt, Michael and Debra Boyd and Robert Boyle is on the west side of Worthley Pond. The plan calls for six lots, three of which the owners would build on, the rest to be retained by them for now. It also has 23 acres in the resource protection zone.
The Planning Board said it has no objections to the plan and is expected to vote on it in two weeks.
Aaron Newton voiced the most strident objections to the plan. While he said he “wants to protect the rights of those in the area,” he refused to point out specific objections or to put his comments into the form of a question that could be addressed.
“Everything the town asked for has been done,” Gerald Arthur Leavitt said, adding that if there were no meaningful questions the hearing should end.
Several people then asked about what the development would do to town taxes.
Leavitt assured them that the current taxes were far in excess of what they had previously been.
Concern about taxes was fueled by the fact that the subdivision was not listed on the published tax rolls.
Town Clerk Vera Parent explained that taxes on the property had indeed increased, but the property transfer was made after the tax roll had been printed and therefore was listed under a different name.
Several of the 30 attendees left after the subdivision hearing.
Selectmen then addressed three articles that will be on the town’s June 13 referendum ballot. The first two addressed voting on all warrant articles by referendum at future town meetings.
Chairman Bill Hine expressed the selectmen’s opinion that a referendum gives more people an opportunity to express their opinion about town business.
Retired Selectman Jim Pulsifer said he objected to the proposal because “the town meeting is the official legislative body of the town,” and using a referendum eliminates the opportunity for public debate.
Hine said he envisioned holding a town meeting where articles could be discussed, then opening the polls for voting on them. He said that at the last town meeting there were only 40 residents, but 200 voted on the articles at the polls. It was pointed out that even 200 ballots is a small portion of the 1,174 registered voters in Peru.
Richard Powell, who served six years as a selectman a decade ago, said the proposal is “a power shifting thing.” He explained that some people exert undue influence at town meetings, or intimidate others. Switching to a referendum is a way to shift the power to other people, which has been the driving force in other towns, he said.
Even more objection was raised to the second article discussed. It provides that if a budget item is rejected by voters it can still be funded at the previous year’s level.
Hugh Rowley said, “The default budget should be on a month-to-month basis until another town meeting can be scheduled.” He pointed out that the proposed default plan would make it impossible for residents to change a budget item, or to eliminate one they no longer wanted to fund.
The third article discussed concerned counting a basement added under a nonconforming structure as an expansion. State law does not consider a basement an expansion.
“What is the long-term purpose” of the proposed change, Rowley asked.
Hine said the state Department of Environmental Protection’s purpose in restricting construction in the shore land zone is to protect the pond.
When asked why it was proposed to make the town ordinance more restrictive than the state law, he said that one family on the pond had constructed a basement under their camp and moved a second family into it. The proposed restrictions would discourage conversion of camps to year-round use and their use by more people, avoiding the potential increase of pollution in the pond.
Several people said that existing plumbing regulations adequately address this.
Dave Clement and others argued that the town ordinance should not be more restrictive than the state law. They said that the professional environmentalists with the state know more about the subject than less experienced local officials.
“The pond has been tested since 1993 with no indication of water quality problems and no deterioration,” John Shea said.
A large turnout is expected for the referendum at the Rockemeka Grange Hall.
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