PERU — Selectmen made no decision Monday night on hiring an engineer to design a stream crossing on East Shore Road.

Road Commissioner Joe Roach said he recommends hiring a professional because although he can replace culvert with an exact duplicate, any changes require permits from the state Department of Environmental Protection and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

He said the culvert needs to be extended 4 to 6 feet on each end to prevent scouring of the streambed. To get the permits, the culvert diameter must be increased to 1.2 times the stream width and the culvert must be buried below the streambed to facilitate movement of fish.

Roach said an engineer’s services would facilitate obtaining permits and assure the culvert is properly designed.

Selectmen objected to spending the money, saying town employees have adequate experience to design the structure and could apply for the permits.

The plan is to rebuild East Shore Drive in sections over the next five years.

Selectman Jim Pulsifer said that while this is the plan, only $65,000 for the first year’s work has been approved by voters.

Roach told selectmen they can either make the road smooth for the next few years or they can do the job right.

Some residents along East Shore Drive have utility lines running under the road and some have even run water lines through town culverts.

Roach and selectmen agreed that residents will be responsible for expenses incurred because of the lines.

Selectmen denied a request for a veterans exemption on property tax. Pulsifer said state regulations require that the veteran be either 100 percent disabled or 62 years old.

Resident Dawna Kazregis said, “All veterans of any age deserve a discount on taxes.”

She also brought up a recent post on the Fox News website about U.S. Forest Service advocating for a minimum length of campfire roasting sticks and not using chocolate in s’mores. She said federal officials should be spending their time on more important issues such as immigration and the Islamic State terrorist group.

Before their regular meeting, selectmen held a workshop to review the Maine Revenue Service Sales Analysis of properties sold for the year ending March 31. Selectmen marked sales the state should not use in calculating its sales ratio such those to family members, by banks and auctions.

The state uses the information to determine how a town’s assessed value compares to actual sales prices.