Saugus selectmen make exception to I and I rules

SAUGUS – The Board of Selectmen made its first exception to its firmly held Inflow and Infiltration rules Tuesday when it gave developer Kevin Procopio a break.The I and I fee is part of a state mandated cleanup of the town’s sewer system.Initially, developers were required to remove 10 gallons of wastewater from the town’s system for every one gallon they wanted to add. Based on the formula of 110 gallons per day, per bedroom at a cost of $3 per gallon, it cost $3,300 to tie in a single bedroom home.In January 2007 the board voted to drop the fee to a 6-1 ratio, which cut the cost to developers by nearly $4,000. Then in December the board further cut the ratio to 4-1, which reduced the expense to $1,320 for a one bedroom home.But the day before the board voted to lower the ratio, developer Kevin Procopio wrote a check for $7,920 for the construction of a four-bedroom home. On Tuesday, Dec. 11 the board voted to reduce the rate to 4-1, which would have reduced Procopio’s fee to $5,280, had he known the vote was coming.Procopio didn’t learn of the vote until Wednesday when he went back to Inspectional Services. Initially, he was told to simply write a new check since they hadn’t cashed his check from Dec. 10 but later was told he wouldn’t be allowed to do that.”I was not told this was coming up or that it was in the works,” Procopio told the board Tuesday. “I could have waited a day. I could have pulled my check and re-filed, but I didn’t think it was necessary.”In a letter to the board, environmental attorney George Hailer said the board could only credit Procopio if it voted to make the effective date retroactive one day, which it did in a 4-1 vote.Selectman Stephen Horlick said he could not support the request to change the effective date on the drop in the I and I ratio.”I asked the board to put it off a week – we could have put it out there,” he said regarding the ratio change.Horlick said he also asked to delay the vote so the newest members of the board could be brought up to speed on the I and I issues.”But you wanted to vote without looking at anything,” he argued. “You could have looked at everything, you could have made a rational decision.”Selectman Michael Kelleher, who’s fought for more than a year to lower the rate, said he thought it would be irresponsible and unfair to Procopio not to change the effective date.”With all due respect to Mr. Horlick, anyone who went through an election knew about the I and I issue,” he added.Selectman Stephen Castinetti and Peter Rossetti also supported the motion.”Plus he’ll be credited toward his next project – it’s not like we’re giving funds back – and this is just on of many projects he is doing,” Rossetti said.Horlick said Wednesday he has since learned the change will benefit four other developers as well.”They will automatically be refunded,” he said. “I’m just wondering where does this stop now?”