Board debates $10 demolition and $20 shoreland tree‑removal processing fees; tables final adoption for more data

Town staff proposed small processing fees to help cover the time required to process demolition permits and shoreland tree‑removal requests, and the board debated possible effects on compliance before asking staff for permit counts.

The code enforcement officer/staff member (speaker S4) described the proposal as a cost‑recovery effort rather than a revenue source, saying site inspections and record updates can require multiple hours per permit. “With respect to the tree removal, a lot goes into that… by the time I was done with the site eval, which requires taking measurements, taking photographs of the surrounding area… 4 hours goes by,” the staff member said.

The assessing agent (speaker S6) said data entry and updating tax records are part of the follow-up and cited comparable fees in other towns (Norway $25, Paris $20) to support a modest $10 demo fee.

A motion to adopt a $10 demolition processing fee was moved by the town manager (speaker S8) and seconded by the chair (speaker S2). Board members raised concerns that charging for tree‑removal requests might discourage permit compliance and asked staff to provide counts of past permits. The board asked staff to return with permit numbers at the next meeting; the transcript does not record a full roll‑call tally for final adoption and members indicated they would table further action pending data.

Why it matters: shoreland tree removals and demolition activity affect shoreline protection, property assessments and state compliance; a fee could help the town track changes and recover administrative costs but may affect voluntary compliance.

What’s next: staff to provide historical permit counts and the board will reconsider the item at the next meeting.