Section VII

SECTION VII : ADMINISTRATION

A. Waiver

Strict compliance with the requirements of these rules and regulations may be waived when, in the judgment of the Board, such action is in the public interest and not inconsistent with the Subdivision Control Law.

B. Reference

For matters not covered by these rules and regulations, reference is made to Sections 81-K to 81-GG, inclusive, of Chapter 41 of the General Laws, as amended

C. These regulations shall be considered as revised to conform with any amendment of Chapter 41 of the General Laws made after adoption of these regulations.

D. Outside Consultants to Assist Planning Board (Section added 6/90)

When reviewing an application for (permit/approval), the Board may determine that the assistance of outside consultants is warranted due to the size, scale or complexity of a proposed project or because of a project’s potential impacts. The Board may require that applicants pay a “review fee” consisting of the reasonable costs incurred by the Board for the employment of outside consultants engaged by the Board to assist in the review of an application.

In hiring outside consultants, the Board may engage engineers, planners, lawyers, urban designers or other appropriate professionals who can assist the Board in analyzing a project to ensure compliance with all relevant laws, ordinances/bylaws, and regulations.

The Board will estimate the review fee in advance of performance of the consulting work. Funds received by the Board pursuant to this section shall be
deposited with the municipal treasurer who shall establish a special account for this purpose. Expenditures from this special account may be made at the direction of the Board without further appropriation. Expenditures from this special account shall be made only in connection with the review of a specific project or projects for which a review fee has been or will be collected from the applicant. Failure of an applicant to pay a review fee shall be grounds for denial of the (application/permit).

Review fees may only be spent for services rendered in connection with the specific project from which they were collected. Accrued interest may also be spent for this purpose. At the completion of the Board’s review of a project, any excess amount in the account, including interest, attributable to a specified project, shall be repaid to the applicant or the applicant’s successor in interest. A final report of said account shall be made available to the applicant or the applicant’s successor in interest. For the purpose of this regulation, any person or entity claiming to be an applicant’s successor in interest shall provide the Board with documentation establishing such succession in interest.

Any applicant may take an administrative appeal from the selection of the outside consultant to the Board of Selectmen. The grounds for such an appeal shall be limited to claims that the consultant selected has a conflict of interest or does not possess the minimum, required qualifications. The minimum qualifications shall consist either of an educational degree in, or related to, the field at issue or three or more years of practice in the field at issue or related field. The required time limit for action upon an application by the board shall be extended by the duration of the administrative appeal. In the event that no decision is made by the Board of Selectmen within one month following the filing of the appeal, the selection made by the board shall stand.