PERTH - Town Attorney Carmel Greco has provided the town with a draft of a document that would regulate wood boiler use in the municipality.

The town has not formally adopted any new regulations on the matter. But the document provides several potential guidelines for wood boiler use.

It stipulates, for example, that the town's code enforcement officer would be the official charged with making sure all regulations are followed properly. It also bans products such as painted wood, plastic materials, rubbish and newspaper from being burned inside the device.

It is based on rules put out by Central Boiler, based in Greenbush, Minn.

"The operator is responsible to operate responsibly and not create a situation when you're annoying your neighbor," Supervisor Greg Fagan said. "That would be followed up with code enforcement."

If a person violates the terms of the law, Fagan said, each week of the violation would be treated as a separate offense.

The board set a public hearing on the matter for its next meeting Dec. 3. The regulations could still be changed, and board member Gay Lewandowski said she would like to propose a summertime ban on the boilers. The current regulations do not contain such a rule.

Town resident Nancy Tyler, who has been pushing for stricter wood boiler regulations, said her neighbor has continued to recklessly use his wood boiler, even though she had asked the code enforcement officer to work to stop him from doing so. She said smoke from the boiler occasionally came into her house.

"There was supposed to be something done about it," she said. "And we're still seeing the same problem."

Town resident Pete Centore, who identified himself as Tyler's neighbor, said he has worked hard to try and make sure his smoke does not blow toward the Tylers. He cannot help it from occasionally doing so.

"When does it stop, when you've done everything and it just keeps getting back to you?" Centore said.

He wondered if he could potentially sue a town resident who was giving him too much trouble over wood boilers, and Greco said the law would provide for that, although he said he hoped it would not come to that.

"We're not here to tell people they can't use them," Fagan said. "There's a valid reason for using them."

Town officials said they expected a lively debate about the matter at the public hearing next month.

Zach Subar covers rural Fulton County news. He can be reached at ruralnews@leaderherald.com.