PERU – Selectmen Chairman Jim Pulsifer announced Monday night that the effort to obtain financial records from the Recreation Committee treasurer has been turned over to the town attorney.
The announcement followed an executive session of the board with their attorney.
The board has been working for months to get an accounting of the money the committee raised on its own. There is a question about whether the town has authority over those funds.
Members of Peruvians for Honest Government have questioned the committee’s spending.
The board has reviewed town accounts and found money provided to the committee by taxpayers was spent properly.
In other business, selectmen voted to support the annual town budget approved last week by the Finance Committee. If all warrant articles are approved as recommended by selectmen and the Finance Committee, the municipal budget will be $862,797.22.
The Oxford County is $95,559. The RSU 10 budget has not been finalized so the town’s share in unknown.
It is expected the tax rate will go from $17.50 to between $18.50 and $19 per $1,000 of assessed property value, officials said.
In another matter, Selectman Lee Merrill agreed to house animals picked up by Animal Control Officer Sue Milligan to save the expense of taking them to McKennels shelter in Rumford. Merrill will take required courses to serve as a backup to Milligan, but he will be be ACO or accept stray animals from the public.
Resident Warren Oldham asked selectmen to consider approving a franchise fee on Peru cable TV customers in regards to a public access channel.
Pulsifer said he didn’t favor fee on all cable customers, even though it would be returned to the town by the cable company. He said this was the position of previous boards.
Selectmen agreed to add an article on the fee to the annual town meeting warrant.
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