LIVERMORE FALLS — Selectmen voted Tuesday to dispose of a backlog of properties taken for unpaid sewer fees.

The town took ownership of 22 properties Dec. 2, a process that begin in May 2023.

Since Dec. 10, two owners of three properties have paid all past overdue bills, Town Manager Carrie Castonguay said Tuesday. Selectmen voted to provide quit claim deeds for those at at 189 and 201 Park St. and 8 Bridge St.

Selectmen voted to sell seven parcels. Six of them — 11 Cargill, 41 Main, 22 Gilbert, 18 Millett, 19 Prospect, and 69 Church streets — town attorney Jensen Baird will sell through a local broker per the Town of Livermore Falls Disposition of Tax Acquired and Town Owned Property Policy.

The board voted to sell 28 and 30 Church St., which has a sewer hookup for the former Methodist Church and parsonage, by sealed bid with a minimum price that includes all overdue sewer fees and property taxes, costs, interest and administrative fees. The bid must include the the bidder’s intention for the property and examples of past projects the bidder has completed.

Selectmen voted to work with three owners to develop repayment plans for 21 Gagnon St., 46 Knapp St. and 12 Bellaire Drive.

A property at 202 Foundry Road involves a mortgage company that has not responded to requests for information. Castonguay was asked to provide an update update after March 1, 2025, regarding a possible repurchase agreement.

Action on four properties — 4 Maple, 34 Otis, 80 Depot and 5 Gordon streets — was tabled until March 1, 2025, for mortgage companies to respond.

Also tabled was property at 12 Reynolds Ave. while the owner works with a broker to sell the property.

Also tabled was property at 95 Park St. until the Jan. 17, 2025, board meeting to confirm a quitclaim deed will be provided after cleanup is completed. Adam Castonguay of Castonguay Construction estimated it would cost about $20,000 to clean up the burned-out lot. He is willing to do the work in exchange for a deed to the property, the town manager said.

Selectman Bruce Peary asked if the deed could be given after the work was completed. The town manager said she would find out.

At the request of the town manager, action on 8 Searles St. was put off with no explanation or discussion.

Selectmen held a workshop Dec. 10 to review each property, learn more about them and provide suggestions for what to do with them.

Peary said going through the sewer foreclosure process was very educational. “I had no idea about a lot of this,” he said. “I learned a lot at the workshop and going through it tonight was much easier.”

In the past, there hasn’t been any real teeth to not keeping up with payments, Peary said Tuesday. Having it addressed in the media, “now the public is aware that these policies have teeth that can bite you,” he said. “I think that people are going to see this administration is really following up and working through the things that we are supposed to be doing.

“It benefits everyone when things are kept up to date,” Peary added. “I hope that what we did tonight shows that we are not unsympathetic or unempathetic. We are more than willing to work with people. If they are willing to work with us we are willing to work with them. I think that is important to know.”

How it was done

• May 25, 2023 — Liens filed on all properties.

• Aug. 24, 2023 — 30-day notices sent.

• Oct. 24, 2024 — Notice of impending foreclosures sent.

• Dec. 2, 2024 — Automatic foreclosures took effect.

• Payments made must be applied to the oldest unpaid amount first. Once the oldest is paid in full, payments are applied to the next oldest amount and so forth until all are paid.