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Home >I Am A New LHO, What Do I Do Now?

Use the State as a Resource

If the State has a specific program that deals with the problem, contact the State. Examples of relevant State programs include drinking water, restaurant inspection, rabies, emergency response, and school health. Should the services of the on-call Epidemiologist be needed, you can call the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention administration number which is (207) 287-8016. If you are unable to locate the resource you need, contact the Office of Local Public Health.

The link to the LHO online resource list is http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/boh/olph/lho/resources.shtml

What Highly Successful LHOs Do

  1. Keep notes of all discussions and statements made regarding the complaint.
    These statements can be used as leverage in follow-up letters (“…during my visit at 2 PM on July 28th, 2008, you stated you would contact a contractor to have the trash removed from your lawn.")
  2. Have someone accompany you when visiting the property
    Being the LHO doesn’t mean you can or should solve problems on your own. Have someone with expertise on the problem come along to give his or her opinion. This person will assist you and confirm statements made by all parties.
  3. Always use due process with the owner, or the owner’s representative.
    This involves being fair and giving the other person the benefit of the doubt. It means you need to hear both sides before you decide what to do.
  4. Write a follow-up a letter to document what was stated or promised.
    It’s critical to do this after all meetings and conversations where commitments or changes in status have occurred that have bearing on the situation. If there is not sufficient time to mail the letter, you should hand deliver it.
  5. During discussions with the owner, try to determine what his/her intentions are about taking corrective action.
    While you would like to find out how they will resolve the issue - a more important thing to learn at first is what their intentions are.
  6. Follow-up by on-site visits as much as your time will permit.
  7. Inform the Town Manager/City Manager/Chair of Board of Selectman as soon as it appears that quick corrective action is not going to happen due to an uncooperative owner.
    They will need to know what can be done according to Maine law.

 

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