The next Otis town meeting will be held on May 10, 2008.
At the Beech Hill School 9:00am.
The new E-911 house numbers are now available at the town office. If your residence or camp cannot be seen from the roadway you need to place a set of house numbers on a free standing post at the end of your driveway. PLEASE place the numbers in a visible place. Failure to do so could be the difference between life and death when the emergency personnel are searching for your residence or camp. Even if your property is not a year round residence you must comply with the E-911 addressing ordinance. Emergencies are not selective and can arise at any time or place.
Property taxes are due in two installments. The first payment is due 30 days after the commitment of taxes and the second payment is due before February 15th of the following year. You can make payments throughout the year if you wish, this helps ease the burden and avoids high interest charges when the property tax deadline is reached. Unpaid taxes are sent through the lien process approximately eight months after the commitment date. Liens are then processed through the foreclosure procedure eighteen months after the lien is placed on the property. Thirty day notices are sent prior to placing the lien on the property and prior to the foreclosure date. If you have a late payment, please call the town office to obtain the current amount of interest due before sending your check. This eliminates the cost of postage when we have to write and tell you that the balance of your account is only $1 or $2 due to the interest that was assessed for the late payment.
Scheduled Meetings:
Selectmen/Assessors Meet first and third Monday at 6:00pm in the town office meeting room. If the Monday is a holiday then the meeting takes place on the following Tuesday. Workshops are announced by posting the date and time on the sign in front of the Otis Town Office and at the Otis General Store.
Planning Board Meets The Second Tuesday at 6:00pm in the town office meeting room
Board of Appeals Meets only on request
Springy Pond has it's own website! www.springypond.com
Animal Control:
The Animal Control Officer (ACO) is available at the Otis Town Office during our regular business hours. All dogs must be registered as of January 1st of each year. A late fee of $5.00 will be levied for each dog after February 1st. A $10.00 fee will be levied if the dog is not registered before the issuance of the annual Dog Warrant. The annual Dog Warrant is usually in March of each year, however, we have held it until after the April rabies clinic during the past few years to enable people to take advantage of the cheaper rabies shots. The Dog Warrant will be issued the following week. Two verbal warnings will be given for dogs at large. If a third complaint is received, then a citation will be written. If unidentified dogs are roaming at large and a complaint is received then the dogs will be picked up and taken to the animal shelter in Ellsworth. If they have their tags on and we can trace the owner through either the license or rabies tag then we make every attempt to locate the owner. There is a $10.00 ACO fee for any dogs or cats that are picked up, which must be paid before picking up your dog or cat at the animal shelter.
BEECH HILL POND BEACH
Open: Memorial day - September 30th
8am to 8pm
The Beech Hill Pond beach is for the Town of Otis residents and/or their guests ONLY. The use of the beach is now available by permit only. If you are aware of people who are not from the town of Otis or do not own property within the town, please notify the Otis Town Office. If you, as a resident or property owner, wish to make use of the beach, please stop by the town office and obtain a BEACH PARKING PERMIT. The permit is to be placed on the dash of your vehicle so that it is visible to the Town of Otis Constable or the sheriff's department. Any vehicle that is not displaying this permit WILL BE TOWED AT THE OWNER'S EXPENSE. Also, please respect the signs that state NO ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES and the time of opening and closing of the beach. NO FIRES! The area around the beach is private property, camping is not allowed. The property owners who live around the beach area appreciate your compliance. If we do not observe the rules then we will lose the use of the right of way that leads from the West Shore road to the beach area. Also, please observe the NO PARKING/FIRE LANE signs on the opposite side of the road from the parking area. If an emergency vehicle needs to get through it must have the space to do so. In the past this has been a problem. If you were the one in need of emergency assistance you would want a clear way for emergency services to get to you as soon as possible. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SAFETY OF YOURSELF AND YOUR CHILDREN. SWIM AT YOUR OWN RISK.
FIRE PERMITS
Fire permits may be obtained from the Otis Town Office during regular business hours. They may be obtained nights and weekends from one of the Deputy Fire Wardens, Laura Salisbury 537-3044 or Scott Baron (MVFD Chief) 584-2044. For self contained camp fires (in a fireplace), used for cooking or warming, it is not necessary to get a fire permit. However, it is necessary to observe the fire danger and the wind conditions before doing so. We ask that you use responsible judgment when burning and to refrain from burning when fire dangers are high or extreme. Sparks can easily ignite in the trees or nearby the fire NEVER LEAVE A FIRE UNATTENDED please do not leave the area before the fire is completely extinguished and no heat can be felt and smoke does not rise from the ashes. If you obtain a burning permit for the purpose of burning brush, please be sure that it is a controlled burn, with a maximum wind velocity of 10 MPH, and during low fire danger. Ensure you have enough people, hose and tools to extinguish the fire if it should escape the area in which the burn is taking place. Someone must be with the fire AT ALL TIMES. Burning during weekdays is allowed only after 5:00pm. This is due to the fact that we have a volunteer fire department and they are not always available during the day in sufficient force to deal with a out of control wildfire. The fire danger is monitored daily at the Otis Town Office, on a daily basis. If you are not sure of the status of the fire danger please call the town office and ask. PLEASE use as much caution as you can and follow the safety requirements that are printed on the burning permit. We love our homes and forest around us. To losses from what one may think of a simple fire can be catastrophic. In accordance with Title 12 Statues, the out-of door burning of: plastic, rubber, Styrofoam, metals, food wastes, chemicals, treated wood or other solid wastes, except for wood waste is prohibited in all areas of the State of Maine. Failure to comply with this constitutes a class E crime.
New amendments to Otis Zoning Ordinance took effect September 1, 2002.
PERMITS ARE REQUIRED FOR THE FOLLOWING SITUATIONS
1. Plumbing (both internal and external plumbing installations and/or upgrades).
2. All construction within 250 feet of a body of water or 75 feet from a stream.
3. All earth moving of 10 cubic yards or more within 250 feet from a body of water or 75 feet from a stream.
4. Conversion from a seasonal to a year-round dwelling.
Meals for Me is Meals for YOU! Come join other older adults to socialize and enjoy a delicious midday meal at any Meals for Me dining room. Any person 60 or older and his/her spouse may participate. A contribution of $2.50 is suggested. Home delivered meals are available for frail, elderly homebound persons. Meals for me are Tuesdays at 11:30 at the Otis Public Library. Call the town office at 537-2211 or Bev Bragg at 537 3401 for more information.
If you have already filed a homestead exemption application then your exemption will renew each year. If you have not filed, you must file before April 1st so it will be deducted from your next tax bill. If you have recently purchased be sure to obtain your application. See our links page for the Maine Revenue Service to download Maine property tax forms online.
Boat registrations expire December 30th of each year. Excise tax must be paid before a registration is issued. The State has passed a new law. In order for you to put your boat in fresh water you have to buy a special "Preserve Maine Water" sticker. The cost for the sticker is $10.00 for residents and $20.00 for non-residents. See the Protect our Waters page for more information.
Please help to keep our town clean. Littering in the Town of Otis can mean a fine of not less than $5.00 and not more than $2,500.00 for each offense.
Recycling will be open weekly starting July 1, 2002. Please take a look at the Recycling page for information on what types of recyclables are accepted.
A new fee schedule has been implemented at the transfer station. Please see the transfer station page, or call the town office for more information.