ROXBURY — Construction permits could soon cost a bundle depending on voters’ decision at a special town meeting Tuesday.

It is scheduled for 6 p.m. Sept. 13 in the town office.

Additionally, voters will be asked to correct an earlier mistake in the town meeting warrant that gave local access channel WVAC half of the money that selectmen recommended, Tax Collector and Treasurer Renee Hodsdon said Thursday afternoon.

Residents will also be asked to approve transferring several thousand dollars from two accounts to repair roads damaged by Tropical Storm Irene.

After electing a moderator, voters will be asked if they want to enact the Regulation of Building Permits Ordinance.

Hodsdon said that essentially, the Planning Board has restructured the costs for building permit applications and added a requirement that applicants go before the board for project approval.

Previously, anyone seeking a building permit only paid $10 no matter the size of the project, she said.

With the revised ordinance, there are several different charges depending on the type and scope of construction.

“We’re trying to get in line with where most of the other River Valley towns are and to support the costs of the Planning Board,” Hodsdon said.

For instance, building permits for residential garages would cost $100 while permits for commercial wind towers will cost $1,000 if the ordinance is approved.

Additionally, other projects are charged on a per square foot basis, like residential buildings of one or two floors or more, and mobile and modular homes. Those permits would cost 27 cents per square foot constructed.

Article 3 seeks to transfer $940 from the General Fund to support WVAC, although selectmen recommend transferring $366.

Hodsdon said the WVAC initially requested two-thirds of the cable franchise fees ($1,340). Selectmen recommended $766. However, when the town meeting warrant was written, the amount was mistakenly typed as $400 and approved.

Although selectmen are now only recommending transferring $366, Hodsdon said the article is written such that voters can give WVAC their requested amount by approving $940.

Article four seeks voter permission to transfer $21,000 from the Road Project Savings Account into Summer Roads for emergency disaster coverage and, if necessary, up to $50,000 from General Funds to Summer Roads.

Hodsdon said Horseshoe Valley Road took major damage from Irene’s flooding. She said school buses cannot drive on the road currently to pick up and drop off children.

“We were allowed to fix it and make it safer, but we were not allowed to fix it overall because FEMA had to view and assess the damage first,” Hodsdon said.

Pending approval, should FEMA reimburse Roxbury, it would be at 75 percent. Additionally, Maine would pay 15 percent and the remainder would come from Roxbury.

She said that by approving Article 4, we would “get a good start on fixing the damage, and then get reimbursed.”

tkarkos@sunjournal.com

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