Auburn Select Board raises permit fees, delays implementation until March 2026

AUBURN -- December 8, 2025, Auburn Select Board votes to raise building and trade permit fees for the first time in over a decade, effective March 1, 2026. The board voted 3-1-1 on updated building, plumbing, gas, electrical, and wiring permit fees at its December 8 meeting, delaying implementation from immediate effect to March 1 after Member Sara K. Rufli proposed giving residents and contractors time to plan. Member Daniel S. Carpenter successfully argued that dog licensing fees, set at $15 for spayed or neutered dogs and $20 for intact dogs, must be excluded from the board's annual fee vote because they fall under town meeting jurisdiction per MGL Chapter 140, Section 139; the fees remain on the schedule for public reference. Assistant Town Manager Paul DelQuilla won unanimous approval for three grant applications requiring no matching funds, including a bid to host a free Urban Land Institute one-day planning workshop, valued at roughly $15,000, focused on the Route 12 corridor from the Langway site to the Auburn Mall, with MassDevelopment serving as sponsor. The board also received a report from Fire Chief Coleman that eight of nine SAFER-grant firefighter positions have been filled by already-certified candidates, with only one recruit requiring spring academy training.