SUMNER — Selectmen said Tuesday that they are considering fining people who do not obtain a building permit for projects costing more than $1,000.

Code Enforcement Officer Sidney Abbott said Planning Board member Jim Durfee did not get a permit to replace a deck in the shoreland zone. Abbott said Durfee never got a permit when he built the first deck.

In other business, Stuart Davis of Davis Land Surveying of Mechanic Falls brought charts showing the 34.3 acres on Route 219 the town purchased from Maynard and Pamela Farrar. The paperwork is ready to be signed.

The property was purchased for $45,000 and will be used for a sand and salt shed. The sand and salt pile has been on the lot, formerly owned by winter roads contractor Clifford Road, for years.

Selectman Mary Ann Haxton asked how the town would protect the salt from the weather.

Selectman Wally Litchfield said they usually used tarps, which worked.

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In other business, Town Clerk Susan Runes said the tax rate is set at $16 per $1,000 of property valuation. Last year it was $15.70.

Runes said the increase is due to education costs. She said excise tax revenue was down because no one is buying new cars.

In another matter, a letter from the state said the town’s licensed plumbing inspector can do septic work if he does not sign off on the work. Abbott, the licensed plumbing inspector, said that was what he had understood and had been his policy.

Runes said there are problems with the phones and Internet service at the Town Office. The board voted to have Oxford Networks review the setup and buy new phones, if necessary.


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