"We have lots of trees, we don't have sidewalks or gutters," Washington Grove Mayor John Compton said. "It means people walk on the streets, the speed limit is 15 miles per hour, so cars are not supposed to be a threat to people walking on the streets."

To protect the town's streets from damage, limit the number of overweight and oversized vehicles blocking streets, and warn truck drivers about their size, Compton has proposed an ordinance that would require trucks to get permits before entering Washington Grove.

About two dozen municipalities in Maryland have similar ordinances requiring permits for overweight or oversized vehicles to park or travel on their streets, a Maryland Municipal League spokesman said.

The ordinance would help reduce incidents like one that happened last summer, when trailers carrying parts of a modular home into Washington Grove couldn't arrive at their destination because of a tight corner.

Eventually, Compton said the town agreed to allow the builders to fill in the roa d on the condition that they repaired it when they finished work. "Under duress, mind you, we had to go after them to restore it back to the way it was."

The idea, he said, is to create a permit application asking truckers to describe where they are going, how long it will take, and what will be done.

It would also require applicants to attach a bond to the permit, which would cover the cost of repairing any damage to the roads.

Although the intention is not to prevent overweight and oversized vehicles from entering the town, the ordinance would give the mayor power to authorize permits and would include an opportunity for the applicant to appeal if they were rejected, Compton said.

"There wouldn't be any grounds to not get a permit, but to simply restrict," he said.

The ordinance would also include a list of exemptions such as emergency vehicles, waste haulers, and leaf pick-up trucks, which would not need permits.

In November Washington Grove's Town Council approved the idea and the town's attorney is drafting an ordinance.

Road restoration is one of the town's largest expenses, Compton said. Last year the town spent $30,000 patching roads, and although it's difficult to pinpoint how much damage was caused by overweight and oversized vehicles, he believes they add to the problem.

At the moment, the money for repairing roads comes out of the town's budget, which is about $300,000 this year.

"The town's financial resources are limited, so we want to be sure that if damage is caused in town, that we can hold the people responsible for it who caused the damage,"

Compton said.

Money for the budget comes from a fraction of the state's income tax, property tax, and, since Washington Grove maintains its own roads, it receives highway-used revenue from the county and the state.

Once the drafted ordinance is complete, the council will review it and, if approved, it will go on to the Planning Commission.

If the commission approves it, the council will hold a public hearing to answer questions or comments about the ordinance.