By Susan MacEachron

An in-depth discussion of the appropriate fees to charge for a wetlands permit consumed most of the Inland Wetlands Agency meeting on March 2. Wetlands Enforcement Officer Stacy Sefcik reported that a site meeting had been held to discuss tree removal on Mountain Road related to the upcoming bridge replacement and that she had identified an enforcement problem at 1187 Litchfield Rd.

Sefcik and wetlands members agreed that permit fees should, at a minimum, cover the town’s costs for the required legal notices and fees to the state. As a matter of principle, they also stated the view that the fee structure should reflect the extent of the impact to wetlands areas while providing an incentive to stay clear of wetlands.

Once the agency agrees upon the proposed fee schedule, there will be a public hearing, followed by a town meeting because the current schedule is embedded in town ordinance. The current fees are variable depending on the level of impact to wetlands. In addition to a base permit of $60, there is a potential charge of $275 if the activity is deemed substantial and an additional fee based on a calculation of the area that would be affected. One reason for revising the fee schedule is to eliminate the calculation of the area affected, which is considered too complicated to effectively enforce.

Sefcik said the tree removal on Mountain Road was previously approved as part of the bridge replacement. She also noted that the removal must be timed to meet the state requirements to protect an endangered bat population. Two substantial maples have since been taken down, along with some smaller trees. Sefcik will be sending a notice to the owner of 1187 Litchfield Rd. for work that one can see from the road. She believes it is unauthorized.

The question of whether Otter, an AI note-taker, could be used to capture the content of the monthly wetlands meeting was discussed. Marinell Crippen has been the recording secretary for wetlands for many years but can no longer fulfill the role because the ICBX café needs to be her priority. The transcript provided by Otter would require a person to format the output into appropriate meeting minutes, but wetlands approved Sefcik’s recommendation to purchase Otter Pro for $100