TAX NEWS - June 2010

New Gloucester Tax: New Gloucester to make second budget attempt

New Gloucester Board of Selectmen signed newly prepared warrant articles and set Monday, June 21 as the special town meeting. The meeting will take place at Memorial School beginning at 7 p.m.

The Board of Selectmen was forced to revisit several warrant articles from the original Town Meeting as voters failed to pass them as written.

After choosing a moderator for the meeting, taxpayers will vote to appropriate $150,000 from a capital reserves account to replace a public works wheel loader that is in need of repair per article 2. Concern over the safety of the wheel loader was raised by residents. It was decided that replacing the existing wheel loader with an annual maintenance contract in year one was the most viable solution from the Budget Committee and Capital Improvement Plan Committee. They will trade in the existing wheel loader, using the trade-in value toward the purchase of a new one if article 2 is passed by voters.

Article 3 will see if the town will vote to appropriate $385,657 from taxation and other sources for the ensuing year. This includes $16,900 for selectmen, $275,800 for administration, $4,350 for town meetings/elections, $55,607 for code enforcement, $18,000 for legal and $15,000 in unanticipated expenses. Removed from this newly presented article is the issue of the tax assessor position which residents requested be addressed separately.

Article 4 deals directly with the tax assessor position. As written, the article asks if the town will vote to raise and appropriate $74,512 from taxation and other sources for the ensuing year for a fully-funded, full-time tax assessor position. The Budget Committee and Board of Selectmen, however, recommend passage of $45,000 for an outsourced contractual position.

"I do not agree with the fact that we're going to cut a lot of services by outsourcing this position of assessor, but I also do not want to raise taxes and I do not want to fund this position on the backs of other employees," said Selectman Nathanial Berry. "I think this will work. Outsourcing is not popular and I understand that and I respect (resident's) comments that it would be nice to see a person every day of the week."

Berry cited conversations with New Gloucester residents and their concern over raising taxes for his support of going with the outsourced position.

Article 5 will see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate $746,000 from taxation and other sources for the ensuing year for insurance, social security/retirement and debt service directly related to the tax assessor position. The total of $746,000 is needed if the town votes to go with a fully-funded position; however, the Budget Committee and Board of Selectmen recommend $734,000, which is the amount needed if the town votes to go with an outsourced assessor.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Debra Smith confronted the board on allegations they have prolonged and avoided the matter of dealing with residents' contaminated well water from road salt. She stated it has been over a year since she and other residents first addressed the issue to the board and said there has been no contact from either the town manager or members of the board.

"You have been trying to avoid this. You have dismissed this with ridiculous claims... I have just really lost patience with this," said Smith. "I want a conversation about this. I don't want to be ignored and dismissed."

Board of Selectmen Chairman Steven Libby rebutted by saying that board is unable to comment as it is a potential legal issue.

"This should not be a legal issue, it should be a community issue and you should address it proactively. Not try to ignore it," said Smith.