OXFORD — Selectmen approved two additional articles for the annual meeting warrant Thursday before signing off on the completed document.
The board authorized Town Manager Butch Asselin to write a letter to Gov. Janet Mills to ask that town meetings be considered essential and therefore might be held before September.
According to the state’s social distancing protocols, public gatherings of 50 people or more are not allowed until after August.
Before the coronavirus pandemic restrictions, Oxford’s meeting was originally scheduled in June and then rescheduled to July as the virus spread and restrictions were tightened.
Even if the meeting cannot be held until September, Asselin said the deadline for paying property taxes will not be extended.
He reviewed his tentative plan for reopening the Town Office for limited business starting June 1, mostly to accommodate new vehicle and watercraft registrations. He outlined safety precautions, staffing and limitations to comply with social distancing.
The June 4 selectmen meeting will be held at the Town Office, although the remote video platform Microsoft Teams will still be in use for anyone uncomfortable with public gatherings.
Oxford School Age Child Care & Preschool leasing the Station House Community Center for the summer. The group normally operates out of the elementary school, but it will be unavailable because of security change and renovations being done to the lobby starting in June.
SACC will pay weekly rent of $250 and bring its own supplies to the building. It will also be responsible for cleaning.
There will be little impact on Oxford Recreation, as most activities have been sidelined by coronavirus restrictions.
Selectmen approved a request to write off more than $500 in unpaid taxes for a mobile home that was moved from its site.
Selectman Sharon Jackson asked how taxes could be left unpaid if transporters are supposed to file a permit before moving them.
Asselin said trailers are being moved from mobile home parks, usually after dark.
Vice Chairwoman Samantha Hewey urged a review on the town’s overall mobile home ordinances because it’s unclear which municipal department has jurisdiction over illegal transportation of trailers.
Asselin was authorized to sign a three-year contract renewal with Medical Reimbursement Services, effective July 1, for ambulance billing.
He was also authorized to contact the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to borrow from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund to pay for changes to the wastewater treatment facility’s dewatering process.
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