MECHANIC FALLS — Property owners will soon be able to pay their taxes online, following Town Council approval Monday.

“I believe we will begin the start-up phase in the next month or so,” Town Manager John Hawley said.

Hawley and town Treasurer Lisa Prevost have been talking with Androscoggin Bank officials about programs that would give the town the ability to offer the service. They recently visited the Turner Town Office to see the system in action.

“There appear to be more pros than cons with this system,” Hawley said.

Hawley noted that while the system will allow people to make various municipal payments online with checks or credit cards, at the beginning it would most likely only be used for property tax payments.

“People will be able to conduct their business after hours and on weekends, a real convenience factor,” Hawley said.

In other business, the council awarded the contract for the new Public Works Department dump truck to O’Connor Motors of Portland, at a low bid of $124,790 after a trade-in allowance of $42,500.

The vehicle, a wheeler, is larger than anything the town now owns and comes fully outfitted with plow gear.

Hawley noted that the old dump truck had proven to be too light duty for what was being demanded of it now that town is doing more of its own construction work. Last year during the rebuild of Edwards Road the town borrowed Poland’s equipment.

Councilors had reservations concerning RSU 16’s proposal to charge the town a recreation facility use fee, or taking over the winter maintenance of driveways and parking lots at the Elm Street School in lieu of such a fee. Their concern was whether this would result in a real reduction in costs or was just a tax shift.

The council was not opposed to plowing the Elm Street School property in Mechanic Falls if this would help the school.

The council also voted not to resell the property at 37 Lewiston St. to its former owner for the $17,135 in back taxes owed. The property was acquired in January 2011 for taxes owed back to 2006. The property will be put up for auction.

The council also awarded the contract to demolish 12 Fourth Ave. to Dwight Nichols for $3,500. The property, condemned and abandoned by its owner, has been declared a hazard. The town will recoup the demolition costs — as well as taxes owed — when the property is sold.

Hawley reported that Shirley Marquis and Lisa Prevost are sharing the duties of town clerk, following Lisa Palmer’s resignation as town clerk a week and a half ago. Marquis has also been named registrar of voters and Prevost is the excise tax collector.

The council appointed Jason Boenig to the Recreation Committee.

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