DIXFIELD — Selectmen agreed Monday night to look into an assertion by Irving Forest Products that the town’s water company has erroneously been charging the woods company for water it doesn’t use.
Town Manager Eugene Skibitsky said Wednesday afternoon that selectmen Malcolm Gill and Steve Donahue will begin negotiations with the company’s representatives to try to solve the issue Friday.
Skibitsky said Irving asked for back payments of $42,699 that have accumulated since July 13, 2004.
The mill contends that it has been billed for water used in fire protection when in fact the firm does not use town water for that purpose.
Skibitsky said the town has immediately discontinued billing for that purpose.
The board also granted junkyard permits to seven owners. One on Holman Road owned by Robert Blanchard had conditions attached. Blanchard was given 60 days to have his property surveyed to learn which part is in the 100-year flood plain, then 90 days to remove any vehicles that may be in the flood plain.
Skibitsky alerted selectmen to the requirement that the town must start enforcing a state-mandated building code by July 1, 2012. He said the matter should be resolved within the next few months because it has budgetary implications.
He said the board must decide whether the town should hire its own building inspector, enter into an interlocal agreement for such services, share one building inspector with another town, or contract with a building inspector.
In other matters, the board:
* Agreed to spend another $10,000 for the reconstruction of 80 more feet of Brian Street.
* Authorized police Chief Richard Pickett to check into prices for a new cruiser or sport utility vehicle to replace a 2005 cruiser.
* Learned that the annual Halloween Walk takes place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sunday along Weld Street. The board approved overtime pay for either the Police Department or the Public Works Department to ensure safety for the scores of youngsters who usually take part in the event.
* Learned that fire Chief Scott Dennett has put the department’s 1985 aerial truck up for bid. The deadline for bids is Dec. 13.
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