JAY – Selectmen still made no decision Tuesday on how much to budget for a part-time deputy code enforcement officer. The officer would conduct state-mandated building inspections pertaining to fire safety among other duties.

They do know, however, that if they don’t appoint a building inspector, liability falls on each of the selectmen.

Town Manager Ruth Marden pointed that out to the board after someone questioned what would happen if the town just ignores the law.

State law requires towns with 2,000 or more residents to have a person to inspect each new building during construction to ensure that “all proper safeguards against the catching or spreading of fire are used, the chimneys and flues are made safe, and that proper cutoffs are placed between the timbers and walls and floorings where fire would be likely to spread,” according to the state manual.

It also requires a building inspector to exercise similar authority regarding repairs to existing structures.

The issue of having a building inspector came to light last year after a state fire inspector asked to see the town’s building inspector. Jay doesn’t have one.

The state is also in the process of considering a statewide uniform building code and requiring towns of 2,000 or more residents to adopt a building code that would add additional duties to code enforcement.

Jay has an environmental code enforcement officer, Shiloh Ring, who is paid through a permit fee structure separate from the town budget. They also have a part-time plumbing inspector as the law requires.

At the board’s last meeting, a proposed budget of $21,739 for a deputy code officer/building inspector/plumbing inspector was discussed. That covers 16 hours a week at $18 an hour and some inspection time.

Another option floated Monday was an eight-hour a week position, plus two hours for inspections for about $10,676.

Marden also suggested that selectmen could see if the assessing agent is willing to be appointed the building inspector and do some inspection. The town contracts with an assessing firm for $25,000 a year, which includes one day a week for the majority of the year and more during heavy assessing times in April and May.

Marden asked selectmen if they want to enforce state laws in Jay.

“Shiloh is not paid to do this work,” Marden said.

People who spoke up Tuesday were not in favor of a building inspector or building permits.

There is no building permit system in the town, resident Mary Howes said, and she doesn’t know of anyone who wants one.

Voters have rejected building permits in the past.

Marden said selectmen need to decide what they want enforced in Jay and cited the junkyard law among others as an example.

“Do you want to enforce the law on complaints only or do you want to be proactive?” Town Clerk Ronda Palmer asked. She has been helping deal with complaints.

She said she drove on Route 140 and counted seven places that would need to be addressed under the junkyard law.

“I’m not going to sit here and say I’m not going to enforce the law,” Chairman Bill Harlow said.

Sylvia Ridley suggested selectmen take some time on this.

“They’re not going to throw you in jail,” she said of the state.

Selectmen asked Marden to check with the assessing agent and other towns to see if one of those code officers would be willing to do the work.