By Kerri Pepoy,Staff Writer

OTISFIELD – Residents will begin paying a $10 fee to file code enforcement complaints, a practice that could dissuade people from filing “frivolous” complaints, according to the town’s newly hired code enforcement officer.

“What we’re trying to discourage is neighbor-versus-neighbor situations where someone might file a complaint just to annoy someone,” Code Enforcement Officer Zak Horton said Thursday. “What we don’t want to discourage are complaints where someone might be doing something illegal and getting away with it.”

The Board of Selectmen voted Wednesday at their regular meeting to authorize the fee after Horton suggested it would be a prudent practice for the town. “It deters someone from filing a lot of frivolous complaints,” he told the board.

Otisfield’s population is around 1,600 but the lakeshore town is growing; Horton said three building permits were issued in the past month.

As part of their vote, selectmen said the fee will be refunded if action is taken on a complaint. The fee will be kept by the town if the complaint is determined to be without merit.

Selectman Tom Nurmi suggested the refund option prior to the vote. Horton agreed, saying: “No one wants to pay a fee for something they think is helping the town.”

Board Chairman Mark Cyr said Thursday he is checking with the Maine Municipal Association to ensure the practice is legal. “I want to make sure,” he said. “The state of Maine might have a law against it. We’re going to make sure it’s legal.”

Mike Starn, communications director at MMA, said Thursday he is not aware of other towns that have such a fee. “That is not to say that what the (Otisfield) code enforcement officer said is wrong,” Starn said. “We have just not heard of other towns that do it.”

Selectmen also adopted a new complaint form developed by Horton that residents will fill out when they file a complaint. Horton said the form will improve recordkeeping.

Residents currently file complaints by writing a letter or they complain verbally to town officials. “I find that makes it difficult to keep track of things,” Horton said.