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Weights and Measures reports growth in inspections, seeks uniform fee model and town partnerships
Summary
The county weights and measures division reported inspections completed, announced a new deputy county sealer, a second vehicle for operations, and described outreach to add towns to the service area and a proposal for a uniform county inspection-fee model.
The Norfolk County weights and measures division presented its annual report Tuesday, citing inspection activity and plans to expand service to additional towns and to standardize inspection fees across the county. William Mullen, representing the weights and measures division, said the office has made “over 50 gas station” inspections covering about 785 meters, verified 32 price scanners and investigated and resolved nine consumer complaints. He told commissioners the division added a deputy county sealer, Gregory Pesano, who passed written and field exams and was designated deputy county sealer on May 15, and that the division acquired a second vehicle (a 2025 Ford Maverick) to support inspections. Mullen said the division is working with towns including Dover, Norfolk and Plainville to bring them into the county service area and is pursuing intermunicipal agreements; he described work to produce free fee-studies for smaller towns so those towns can consider updating long-unchanged inspection fees. The division is awaiting a finalized IMA with Dedham and expects Dedham to be ready for services soon. Why it matters: uniform inspection fees and expanded coverage affect local businesses (gas stations, pharmacies, scale operators) and county resource planning; hiring a deputy sealer and acquiring a second vehicle increase operational capacity and the ability to serve more towns. Details from the report: the division reported 152 small-scale verifications, 421 regular scales, 130 larger scales (1,000–120,000 pound capacity), 30 oil-truck verifications, and more than 50 gas-station inspections. Mullen said some municipal inspection fees have not been reviewed since the 1980s and described a county-led approach to provide towns with comparative data and free fee-study packages. Next steps: staff will place the Dedham IMA on a future agenda after finalized wording changes and continue outreach to Dover, Norfolk and Plainville; commissioners asked about staffing capacity if the service area expands and staff said they were monitoring needs but did not request additional hires at this meeting.
