PERU — At their meeting Monday night, selectmen reviewed test results of water samples from the town spring. The “boil before use” order is still in effect.
Town residents have been getting water from the spring since its early days, according to Board of Selectmen Chairman Jim Pulsifer. A few years back, the spring was dug out to its source. Gravel was placed around the spring and two four-foot diameter by four-foot high sections of concrete well casing were installed. Water runs through a small pipe to an outlet beside Greenwood Road. There is a pull-off area there where residents park to fill containers with spring water.
Two samples from low in the well casing tested positive for coliform bacteria. The other two samples from the casing and all four from the discharge pipe tested negative.
Pulsifer and Selectman Larry Snowman will meet with local contractor Pat Gorham at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the spring to try to correct the problem. Fire Chief Bill Hussey will furnish a fire department pump to empty the casing. They will clear trees and brush from around the spring, and then clean and examine the casing for any source of leakage and possible contamination.
Since the ground around the spring is soft, they will use Pulsifer’s small backhoe to move dirt and grade around the casing.
Selectmen corrected the tax commitment caused by an error in the TRIO software package. Town Clerk Vera Parent explained that the state Legislature changed the Business Equipment Tax Exemption rate. Peru processed its tax commitment shortly after the change and before the software supplier updated TRIO. Pulsifer said Peru will receive approximately $8,000 less than anticipated due to this change.
Rather than change the tax rate and the amount raised on residential property, Pulsifer said selectmen decided to reduce the overlay enough to offset the change. He explained that since the 1800s, the town has regularly added 5 percent to the budget approved by the voters. This overlay is used to cover unexpected expenses, with any unspent amount being added to the town’s surplus fund.
The tax rate for the current fiscal year is $17.50 per thousand dollars of valuation. This is a reduction of 70 cents per thousand from the previous year.
At an earlier meeting, former selectman and secretary Kathy Hussey presented the selectmen with a bill for legal fees she said were incurred due to her service to the town. The selectmen discussed the matter in an executive session. Following the executive session, they decided, on the advice of their attorney, to not pay the bill.
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