Maine Contractor Pays $20K Fine to Town of Palermo With Loose Change

A contractor was fined $20,000 by the town of Palermo, Maine, and wasn't happy about it. So he paid it like a good citizen should, but he did it with loose change.

$20,000 in Coins

According to the Town Line Community Newspaper, there was a dispute between the Palermo Town Council and residents Kurt Sherman and Dusty Haskell over a shore land zoning ordinance violation, which in the end, cost them $20,000.

A decision was made in civil court that the contractors had failed to comply with the town's shore land zoning ordinance when they bulldozed a wildlife area to create a path to the lake. The fine was $20,000.

Cash is Cash, Right?

The two were not very pleased with having to pay $20,000, so they showed up at the Palermo Town Office, dumping bucket after bucket of change onto the floor. The majority of it looks like pennies. I would love to have heard the reaction of the teller at the bank when they asked, "Could I please have $20,000 in pennies?"

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Or how about the staff that showed up the next day and found buckets full of coins outside the door, with a note left asking the town for a receipt. After this incident, Palermo will no longer accept change for any payments owed over $100.

It's Gone Viral

The news outlets all over the country picked up on this one. It's the perfect fluff piece for the end of a newscast or on a slow news day. CBS News in Chicago gave it a good 40 seconds of air time.