Town Council hoping to tidy up Fillmore

Friday, June 5, 2015

FILLMORE -- Some eyesores around town had the councilmen and several residents of Fillmore talking Thursday night. Although the proper steps need to be followed, the town is preparing to take action.

The subject of a number of yards being mowed has been addressed at the last two meetings.

The next step is for clerk-treasurer Paul Alleyn to send letters to the owners of the offending properties. At that point, owners must get the yard mowed within a defined time period or the town will have it mowed and place a lien on the property.

Abandoned and unsafe houses were an even bigger topic of discussion. One particular house has a collapsing back wall and chimney as well as a basement filled with water.

Town officials plan to contact the Putnam County Health Department on this and a couple of other houses to see about getting them condemned. This step should start the process of having the structures torn down, thus eliminating the hazard.

Councilman Curt Leonard suggested contacting Town Attorney Mary Russell to set up a special meeting at which the council explores its options on these matters.

No date has been set for the meeting.

The subject of police coverage was also discussed with Town Marshal Darrel Bunten, who told the board and the audience that he agrees it would be nice to have more police presence in town.

The problem is budgetary, with the town only able to employ Bunten and Deputy Nick Eastham for 15 hours each week. It's a problem Bunten has previously addressed, telling the council that the coverage the people of town desire would require a full-time marshal.

Unfortunately, adding a full-time employee to the town's budget seems out of the question.

Bunten is hoping to hire a couple of reserves who can fill in some of the gaps in patrol time.

The Fillmore Town Council meets regularly at 7 p.m. the first Thursday of each month at Fillmore Town Hall.

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