Reducing red tape

Well, you certainly don't hear this one every day: a municipality is seeking to reduce its red tape.
At their July meeting the West Marlborough supervisors said they'd be looking at the township's list of required permits and inspections so they could eliminate those that represented an unnecessary burden on property owners.
The supervisors' chairman, Bill Wylie, said the board members will be evaluating the list based on whether the regulations were really needed; he used the phrase "common sense" several times. The board will then hold a public work session to discuss their findings. The township's zoning officer, Al Giannantonio, will review the changes in case any of the permits slated for the chopping block are actually required by county or state law.
Mr. Wylie said some of the rules aren't widely known, such as one requiring homeowners to get a permit to replace a hot-water heater. A few residents at the meeting argued that home repairs, as opposed to new construction, shouldn't need permits, because the work might be urgent.
In other business at the brief meeting, road crew member Hugh Lofting Jr. said he and his colleagues put oil and chips on Newark Road between Routes 842 and 82; Lamborntown Road; Richard Wilson Drive; and a short stretch of West Road at Route 842. They also sprayed 37,000 square feet of soybean oil on Doe Run Church Road to keep the dust down. And, he said, in an understatement, "we mowed a lot."
In the police report, Lieutenant Bob Clarke said he issued 12 speeding tickets and four warnings in June.
The monthly meeting attracted all three supervisors, two township employees, eight township residents, and Skip Powell's Jack Russell, Emma.