WILTON — Selectmen voted 3-1 Tuesday to start the process of establishing a moratorium on installing Central Maine Power Co.’s smart meters to provide time to study the issue.
Selectmen Russell Black, Tom Saviello and D. Scott Taylor approved the measure while Paul Gooch opposed it. Black and Taylor said the moratorium would buy the town some time.
Chairman Terry Brann abstained from the vote, saying he was personally involved and he spoke out against the meters and CMP. He said the company has not answered all questions and in some cases gave conflicting or wrong information in regard to the meters and a communications antenna that was put on an existing tower without a permit.
Concerns have been raised about the effect meters might have on health and safety, among other issues.
Voters would have the final say if a moratorium was to be adopted to delay the meter installation, Town Manager Rhonda Irish said.
The point of a moratorium is to give the board 180 days, which could be renewed, to do research and develop an ordinance that would be put before voters, she said.
CMP has already installed more than 100 meters in town, Irish said.
Smart meters use electronic data recording and two-way communication technology and will, in the near future, provide customers with more detailed information about energy usage and enhanced services, according to CMP’s website. The meters are part of the company’s effort to upgrade to a state-of-the-art electricity delivery system for Maine.
The smart meter has a digital display instead of dials. Smart meters are wireless and use a radio frequency band to communicate, the website states.
CMP representative John Carroll apologized for giving wrong information related to activation of an antenna.
He also said it was not CMP’s intention to install the antenna without a permit. The company did not know it needed a permit since the tower was already there. He said the company is making a good faith effort to catch up. The tower was previously used for a small, home wind generator and there were no town permits needed when it was erected.
Due to changing the use of the tower to a commercial communication antenna for smart meters, it needs a permit, Code Enforcement Officer Paul Montague said. A moratorium would not have an effect on the permit because the application has already been submitted, he said.
Carroll said he was unsure what would happen if an ordinance governing smart meters in Wilton gets voters’ approval.
CMP’s relationship is legally with its customers and not the town, he said.
The customer has to make a choice if they want the meter or to opt out, Carroll said. There are costs associated with opt-outs.
Saviello said that wording could be built into an ordinance that a resident could choose to have a smart meter, if they wanted one.
dperry@sunjournal.com
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