Census scofflaws could face heavy fines

SAUGUS – It could get a whole lot more expensive to lie about living in Saugus.Town Meeting member and Police Lt. Stephen Sweezey put an article on the town warrant seeking to fine residents who fail to fill out a census $200 apiece.”I did it for two reasons, because it’s the right thing to do and two, I felt bad for the town clerk,” Sweezey said.Town Clerk Joanne Rappa has been, as Sweezey put it, banging her head against the wall in trying to update the town census.”For every step forward someone would pull the rug out from under her,” Sweezey said. “I figured there had to be some way to cajole or get people to do what’s right.”The article, if passed, would require all people that own, lease or rent property to file a census form with the clerk within 30-days of moving in. The bylaw would also require all town departments, schools, boards, commissions and committees to verify a form had been filed before it granted any kind of license, abatement, permit, refund, compensation, contract or appointment of any kind.And anyone who failed to comply could be subject to a $200 fine.Rappa said she applauded the intent of the article but didn’t think it was going to get off the floor of Town Meeting.She said when Sweezey first filed the warrant article she had yet to receive an opinion as to whether it was legal to fine someone for not filling out a census form. She said since then it has been her impression that it is not legal.”I don’t have anything in writing,” she added. “I think it’s a great idea though.”Town Counsel John Vasapolli confirmed that in his opinion the fine was not legal. He said the opinion would be included in a report he planned to send to Rappa on the entire warrant just prior to the start of Town Meeting.Vasapolli didn’t deny there is a problem with the lack of people returning their census, but said a fine is not the answer.”It does affect state aid,” he said. “We always get the impression people don’t return the census because they’re living in an illegal in-law apartment. That might be the case but (the fine) still isn’t legal.”Sweezey said had yet to hear from Vasapolli, but said it was his understanding that there was no precedent against the fine.”We need to get people to do what’s right for the future,” he said. “We are screaming for manpower at the police department as I’m sure every department is. We’re way past cutting to the bone, we’re down to the marrow and every little grant we get is based on census.”Rappa’s office has been working diligently to bring the town census, which has long been a bone of contention, up to date. The official census stands at 25,964, which was an increase of 2,300 names. However, the Board of Registrars recently came up with 2,250 inactive voters who haven’t returned a census in years.Rappa admitted the discovery took some of the wind out of her sails, but letters went out to the inactive residents and returns are starting to trickle in.”It’s slow right now, we’re kind of at a standstill, but we’re getting some returns back,” she said.Sweezey in the meantime will continue to lobby for his article. He is unsure when it will hit the floor of Town Meeting, but the annual event opens Monday at 7:30 p.m. in Town Hall.”It’s just another incentive to get people to do the right thing,” he said.