PERU — The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to place a nonbinding question on the June referendum ballot asking if residents wish to approve an ordinance allowing the town to enter into a cable franchise fee agreement.
Chairwoman Carol Roach told the board such an agreement would mean a 3 percent fee, or $2.40 on monthly cable bills.
“I don’t have a good comfort level on whether this is in the best interest of the town,” Roach said. “What do the rest of you think?”
Selectman Larry Snowman said, “The town of Peru has to make the decision if they want to pay extra (on their cable bill). Personally, I would vote against this. People already have to deal with their cable bills going up all the time. I think that a lot of people won’t want it, but I could be wrong.”
Selectwoman Raquel Welch said, “There are also a lot of people who want to see the selectmen meetings air on TV.”
Selectman John Witherell suggested the board place a nonbinding question on the June ballot to get voters’ opinions.
“That way, we can see where people stand, but we don’t have to vote it in right away,” Witherell said.
Roach said the straw poll could serve dual purposes: letting the board know where the town stood on the issue, and incentivizing people to come to a town meeting in November to vote on the issue.
Snowman said he agreed with a straw poll. “It’s ultimately (the people’s) decision to decide if they want to spend the money,” he said.
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