LIVERMORE FALLS — Resident Bob Miller asked selectmen on behalf of his 93-year-old mother-in-law Tuesday what could be done to lower sewer fees.

Diana Richard has an eight-unit apartment building on Main Street and seven of the units are empty, he said. She lives in the eighth unit, Miller said.

The town’s sewer rate is $60 per unit each quarter and the water use rate is 5.16 cents per cubic foot. Section 35 of the town Wastewater Ordinance defines one unit as a single-family home, three bedrooms, no more than two baths. Apartment houses are one unit per living quarter, or per electrical meter. Commercial units will be determined by a site visit, actual flow records and by comparison to other similar sites.

Richard has lived in her home for 65 years and raiser her children there, Miller said. She would like to stay in her home but has limited income and is having a hard time paying the sewer fees for the empty units, he said.

Town Manager Kristal Flagg told selectmen that an abatement request for the empty units was presented to Sewer Department Superintendent Greg Given, but he did not feel comfortable making an abatement on so many units. He wanted the request to go before selectmen, who are also the sewer trustees, for a decision.

The number of tenants that have occupied the building over the past five years is on average two to three, Miller told the board. The past eight months there have been no tenants, he said.

She pays the utility bills, including heating, and when warmer weather comes  tenants move out, he said. There is one electrical meter on the house.

Miller said a team has been assembled to help do what is necessary to lower costs.

Phil Maurais of Maurais & Sons Inc. of Jay, a plumbing and heating business, is willing to take all of the toilets out of the unoccupied apartments, Miller said. Each one would be numbered to identify the unit it was in and be stored in the garage.

Given told selectmen he is concerned that if they do something for one, others will want the same treatment.

Sewer Clerk Amanda Allen said the Sewer Department would like to have a policy in place to guide them. There is no policy now on this particular issue.

The department has had sewer unit fees in place for a long time, Flagg said. She didn’t know how they would change it for one person, she said.

Ideas were discussed to try help the owner.

The building has been for sale for a while, Miller said.

The board tabled action until it can determine what can be done and what the consequences to the town will be.

At the special town meeting Tuesday night, voters approved of withdrawing up to $22,000 from the Highway Equipment Reserve account to repair a 2002 GMC plow truck. The truck needs a new engine and repairs to the clutch and pressure plate.

Residents also authorized selectmen to use past and future snowmobile registrations fees to benefit the Jug Hill Riders Snowmobile Club in Livermore Falls.

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