Ordinance could aid property issues

By Stuart Hedstrom

Staff Writer

MILO — Town officials have been working on a land use ordinance for a number of months to help address some ongoing issues in the community. One such concern pertains to the issuance of building permits for residential dwellings, which was the topic of discussion during an Oct. 20 selectmen’s meeting.

“The long and the short of it is you don’t need one,” Select Chair Lee McMannus said. Interim Town Manager/Police Chief Damien Pickel explained there were some questions on whether a building ordinance had been enacted in the late 1960s but no records of such a vote has been found.

“That’s why we are working so hard on this land use ordinance,” McMannus said. He said building permits are still encouraged, such as for property revaluations,  but “we don’t have the legal recourse to make them get a permit.”

Inspections on commercial parcels or residents looking to sell their homes are still subject to inspections by the code enforcement officer per state laws. “If a person isn’t after that they don’t currently need it,” McMannus said about a building permit for work to their home.

He said the selectmen are looking to have a warrant item on the land use ordinance be part of the annual town meeting in March, which would likely have a larger turnout than a special town meeting. The board is planning another public hearing on the ordinance before the meeting on the second Monday evening of March.

In other business Pickel pulled a small item out of his pocket to show to those present. “This is what $65 buys you, a narcan vile,” he said. He said Milo police officers are carrying the antidote as they are authorized to administer nasal naloxone, a drug that counteracts the effects of an opiate overdose if given in time.

“We are the only police department in Piscataquis and Penobscot that’s doing it,” Pickel said. “It’s well worth it if it saves a life.”

Pickel said he also heard from Tammy Ellison that she would be resigning from the Milo Event Committee. He thanked Ellison and said, “She puts in a lot of effort and a lot of time … her time.”

The selectmen will plan to send Ellison a formal thank-you letter.