By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
HOULTON — Building an addition to a home or business will become more expensive now that a town ordinance has been changed.
The Houlton Town Council agreed Monday evening to increase the fee for town building permits that raises the minimum cost of a permit from $20 to $30. Projects estimated to cost more than $7,000 will be billed at $4 per $1,000 for residential users and $5 per $1,000 for commercial users.
For example, a construction project estimated to cost $10,000 would result in a permit fee of $42 for residential users or $45 for commercial users.
Paving bid waived
For the second time in a month, councilors voted to waive the bid process and awarded a bid to a local contractor, rather than seek proposals. The council agreed to enter into a contract with Steelstone Industries of Houlton for asphalt paving mix at a rate of $85.95 per ton.
At the April 8 meeting, the council waived the bid process to purchase a new police cruiser from Yorks of Houlton.
Town Manager Eugene Conlogue said a representative from Steelstone met with the town’s Public Works Director, Leigh Stillwell, and offered to contract asphalt at the same price to the town for 2013 as it had for both 2011 and 2012.
“Because the offer is well below the potential competitors prices from last year, Leigh and I both believe that the price offered by them is very beneficial to the town,” Conlogue said.
Cable contract extended
The council unanimously voted to extend a cable franchise agreement with Polaris Cable through June 30, 2023. There was some discussion on the franchise fee that the town charges to Polaris Cable. That fee, which serves as revenue for the town, is passed along to customers of the cable company.
“Generally, the FCC recognizes communities as having oversight of cable TV companies within their boundaries,” Conlogue said. “The franchise fee (currently at 5 percent in Houlton) serves as a revenue source for communities and is justified by the fact the cable company uses the town’s right-of-way when they attach their cable to utility poles.”
Franchise fees are charged at the discretion of each community and can range from 0 to 5 percent. The fee does not give Polaris Cable Services any exclusive rights to broadcast in Houlton, meaning another cable company could operate in the town if it so chooses.
For Houlton, the fee generates about $34,400 per year, depending on the number of subscribers Polaris Cable has.
“Basically, towns do this (charge a franchise fee) to get reimbursed,” council chairman Paul Cleary said. “You never know what that revenue is going to be because it is solely based on how many customers they have.”
In other agenda items, the council:
• Approved an application for the Aroostook Riders ATV Club to operate a game of chance (poker run) on June 8.
• Granted a taxi license renewal to Lawrence Clark, doing business as Houlton Cab Inc.
The next meeting of the Houlton Town Council is set for Monday, May 13 at 6 p.m.
