PERU — Resident Dwight Hines complained to selectmen Monday night that the $25 fee for getting tax assessing data from the town on a disc is excessive.
Town officials defended the price and explained why it is so high.
“I moved here four months ago and I want open government,” Hines said.
In a letter to Town Clerk Vera Parent, he said he had serious concerns over his inability to obtain a copy of the data.
Parent said they had offered a hard copy of the data to Hines, but he wanted it on a disc. She said she made copies of the requested maps and other material for Hines at $1 a page, which is what they charge everyone.
Selectman Tim Holland told Hines, “Twenty-five years ago, a selectman wrote the tax assessing program and the info you want is in his private program.” That computer program is not compatible with any modern program.
Until the program was written, the town was writing the tax assessing data by hand, it was explained.
Secretary Kathy Hussy said the cost for making an electronic copy involves the writer of the program to create it. The writer charges the town and the town, which has to pass the cost on to the person requesting the information.
Parent said the reason they need a new computer and programs with networking ability is so all the town information can be accessed under one system.
In other matters Monday night, Holland told the board that Jason Dolloff is cleaning up property on Oxford Road. He said he would recommend to the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office that a court summons on a charge of violating the town’s junkyard ordinance be dropped if Dolloff signed a letter of agreement on how he intended to finish cleaning it up.
The board agreed to that plan.
Jason Dolloff told the board he has moved five of the eight unregistered vehicles off the property and didn’t want his mother, who owns the property, to have to go to court on Nov. 8. He also said he had taken four truckloads of junk from the site.
It was noted that Hussey has taken out nomination papers for selectman to replace Cory Jacques, who resigned recently.
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