Adams Board of Health to Update Fees
ADAMS, Mass. — The Board of Health will review all its fees and make changes comparable to surrounding communities.
Last week, Chairman Bruce Shepley provided board members with a spreadsheet of fees from surrounding communities.
"I would like us to read this over and look at the different communities," Shepley said. "I made some calls and got information from six or seven towns."
All town departments are undergoing a review to make sure their fees are up to date. The Board of Health last updated fees in 2014.
Shepley hopes to vote on these changes at the next meeting.
Shepley added that the board must post its Tobacco 21 summary notification in the newspaper and send the policy to the state.
"It is just a process we have to follow," Shepley said. "We have to dot the Is and cross the Ts."
Last month, the board approved a Tobacco 21 policy along with updated regulations. The policy that goes into effect Feb. 1, 2017, prohibits sales of tobacco products to those under the age of 21.
In other business, the board closed seven cases that were resolved, non-issues or that did not fall under the its purview.
Among these cases was an unfounded vermin case on Howland Avenue. Code Enforcement Officer Thomas Romaniak was called because there were reported rats on the property.
Romaniak said it was trash day and the buckets were neatly closed. If there was a rat issue this would not be the case.
He said rats venture up from the river every year.
"The river is across the street and they all come up," he said. "They are river rats and there is nothing you can do about it. They come and they go."
Tags: fees, tobacco regulations,
