JAY — Selectmen voted Monday night to certify three proposed ordinances to go before voters at the annual town meeting June 12. The laws deal with building and energy codes, subdivisions and a weatherization low-interest loan program.

Selectmen certified the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code Administrative Ordinance for the Town of Jay.

As of July 1, towns with more than 4,000 residents must enforce the state-adopted legislation. Town leaders have proposed an ordinance to help them administer the ordinance, because Jay has a population of 4,885.

The revised draft now states that the town has chosen the building official option for all enforcement in relation to structures covered under the International Residential Code for residential structures. The town has chosen the third-party inspector option for enforcement in relation to structures covered under the International Building Code for commercial and industrial property inspections.

It means that businesses and industrial property owners will have to pay to hire their own third-party building inspector to inspect a building project to get an occupancy permit from the town.

There is an exception to the third-party inspector rule. In the event that a project, which would require a third-party inspector, is within the abilities of the town to conduct, such as within the scope of inspections covered under the residential code or small enough in scope to not require an extended time dedication, it will be at the town manager’s discretion or a designee to allow for the use of the building official in place of a third-party inspector.

Town Manager Ruth Cushman gave examples that could fall under the exception clause, including a business that wants to change out a door or remove a wall. Those could be instances where the town’s building inspector could do the inspection, she said.

The town’s building inspector would not have time to do an inspection of a commercial or industrial project such as at Verso Paper’s Androscoggin Mill, Cushman said.

The building code will require the town to set up a building permit system and hire a town building inspector that would come and do inspections when needed.

Another ordinance certified was the Twenty-Fifth Ordinance amending the Jay Environmental Control and Improvement Ordinance pertaining to subdivisions. The amendments include clarification of road frontage as being on a public way established by or maintained under public authority or a private right of way, the description of which is recorded in the Franklin County Registry of Deeds.

It also proposes a change in the filing fees for a subdivision. Currently, there is a filing fee of $100 per lot or dwelling unit under the subdivision chapter.

The ordinance proposes to change it so the filing fee for new subdivisions would be $100 per lot or dwelling unit and the filing fee for amendments or revisions to previously approved plans would be $50 per lot or dwelling unit.

Another change would require all abutters to be notified by certified mail for new subdivisions and by regular mail for all amendments to previously approved plans.

The third ordinance selectmen certified was an ordinance related to the Property Assessed Clean Energy program.

For property owners to participate in the Efficiency Maine loan program, the town must adopt an ordinance. Eligible property owners could take out low-interest loans up to $15,000 over 15 years to weatherize and make their homes energy-efficient.

dperry@sunjournal.com

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