Board: Auburn City Council

Met: Monday night

Septic tanks

Issue: Property owners who lived within the Lake Auburn Water shed have been pushing the city to loosen the standards on the depth of leach fields for residential septic systems.

The scoop: Homes built in the watershed must keep leach fields for septic systems buried as deep as 36 inches, but some property owners claim that depth does not protect water quality in water shed but does keep development from occurring. Councilors declined to change the standards Monday. The standards may be outdated and worth changing, but councilors said they wanted more information.

Up next: Look for the issue to come up during discussions of the city’s new comprehensive plan over the next few months.

Dog rules

Issue: Lewiston and Auburn have been sharing one animal control officer since 2006 and most codes between the two cities are similar.

The scoop: Auburn has had no limits on the number of dogs people can keep, but councilors Monday adopted Lewiston’s limit of up to three dogs older than 4 months old in a multifamily building. Neither city has limits on the number of dogs in single-family homes.

Up next: Councilors adopted the measure on final reading Monday.

Housing authority

Issue: Two members of the Housing Authority announced their resignations last month. Both Gregory Nadeau and Carmen Mercier said they were relocating their households.

The scoop: The city will take applications for their replacements through the City Clerk’s office. People interested in serving on the board can fill out a community service application – available on the city’s Web site – and mail it to or drop it by the clerk’s Auburn Hall office.

Up next: Councilors could appoint new board members in November.

Liquor licenses

Issue: Local restaurants and bars must reapply for liquor licenses and amusement permits each year. Liquor licenses let them serve alcohol; amusement permits let them play music, have a DJ or karaoke, or have games on site.

The scoop: Councilors approved a new liquor license for BOC (doing business as Thatcher’s) 550 Center St.

Contact government reporter Scott Taylor via phone at 689-2846 or via E-mail at [email protected]