FARMINGTON — The electorate voted Tuesday night, June 27 to end all sanitation permit fees in the city.
“I adopted the methodology that previous sanitation inspectors had used,” said Andrew Marble, the current inspector. “All permitting fees are paid to me, then I have to split the fee between my share and the state.”
Licensed sanitation inspectors get 75% of the fee, with the other 25% going to the state, Marble said. The state only accepts municipal checks. Once the fee is paid, Marble issues a check to Farmington for the state’s share, and the city issues a check that is mailed with a copy of the permits, he explained.
“It’s a ridiculous system,” he said.
Marble is the sanitation inspector in six other cities, the only other doing it the same way as Farmington is Temple.
The current system has some liability for Marble. “It’s a very strange thing to tell someone to write me a check for a municipal permit,” he said. “That shouldn’t happen anymore.”
Interim city manager Cornell Knight said he’s spoken to the treasurer it’s doable.
“It makes sense,” said Selectman Dennis O’Neil.
According to Marble, an average of between 60 and 80 permits are applied for each year. The city charges state minimum fees, although a municipality with a voter-approved ordinance can charge higher fees and keep the additional fees, he said.
State permit fees are the same as in 2011, Marble explained. While the minimum wage was $7.50 an hour in 2011, it’s now $13.80, nearly double that, he added.
O’Neil said an ordinance that would increase fees for plumbing permits is worth considering.
In addition, the board approved the conversion of fluorescent lighting in the police department building to LEDs and the auctioning of a 2016 sedan, with proceeds going to the department’s vehicle reserve account.
An examination of the building found 115 fluorescent lights were not working, Police Chief Kenneth Charles said. It would cost about $600 to replace that many tubes, he noted.
One of the three companies Charles contacted submitted an offer. Adrenaline Electric of Farmington charges $6,200 for materials and $2,200 for labor. Efficiency Maine discounts are included in the offer, Charles said when asked.
“One of the main drivers is the savings in electricity costs,” said Charles. With an expected decline of $1,700 to $2,000 per year, the investment will pay for itself in four years, he noted.
The quote states that current fluorescent lights use 60,288 watt-hours and LED lights use 10,880 watt-hours in an eight-hour day, for a total saving of 49,408 watt-hours.
Selectmen also authorized the auction of a 2016 Ford Interceptor sedan, with the proceeds being credited to the vehicle reserve account.
When police bought two vehicles this year, no trade-ins were possible, Charles said. This vehicle is least desirable for front-line operations, he noted. The Animal Welfare Agency used it, but a sedan wasn’t quite suitable for that, he explained.
There is no cost to list the vehicle on a municipal website that has been used by the county and has worked well, Charles said.
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