LIVERMORE FALLS — The Livermore Falls selectmen Monday evening gave James Burnham the go-ahead to remove junk from a property at 141 Fairview St., approving a written plan he presented for the cleanup.
They also returned the property to Burnham after he paid the $410.86 in back taxes. The town had previously seized the land because Burnham had not paid his taxes.
“In my opinion, I prefer to have him follow this process and pay his taxes rather than take on another piece of property,” Chairwoman Louise Chabot said.
“I just don’t want to lose my grandparents’ land,” Burnham said, noting the property had been in his family for several generations.
“We’re in the people business, not the land business,” Selectman Ron Chadwick said.
Burnham said he was planning to not only have the junk removed, but a trailer on the property as well.
Selectmen said Code Enforcement Officer Rob Overton would check periodically on the progress of the cleanup.
The Treat Memorial Library brought a request for the town to provide $762 above what voters approved at the town meeting referendum last year.
Town Manager Kristal Flagg said that last year voters raised $62,668 when the library had requested $63,480, because selectmen felt library employee wages would stay the same as the year before.
However, she said she went back through the town’s records and found a mistake. The incorrect employee wage amount had been carried over from 2014.
“The bottom line is that’s all we can spend because that’s what was raised,” Flagg said. She emphasized that the town couldn’t spend any more than what voters approved at town meeting.
Selectmen accepted the resignation of transfer station attendant Carroll Bowie with regret. They approved Michael True, who filled in for Bowie, as the new attendant.
Selectmen said True will be paid $13 per hour.
In other business, selectmen abated $3,752.64 in taxes on a 15 Baldwin St. property. The town now owns the land, which includes a home that burned. The home will be put on the town warrant requesting permission for demolition because it’s considered a hazardous building.
The town received notification of a $12,496.50 increase in Androscoggin County taxes for fiscal year 2016-17. Next year, Livermore Falls will pay $177,785.68.
“I just don’t want to lose my grandparents’ land.” — James Burnham
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