PARIS — Oxford County's 2013 tax rate will remain the same as last year's — $7.65 per $1,000 of property value — despite a decrease in valuations.
The tax rate gives the county an overlay of $78,598, or about 1.53 percent of the total budget. Last year's overlay was lower, but county Treasurer Roy Gedat said the lower overlay makes the county budget tighter.
Commission Chairman David Duguay said it would be perferable to bring taxes down. Still, he said, “With the valuation going down, if we can keep it the same, I guess we can take some pride in that.”
The county's total valuation dropped from $6.923 billion last year to $6.809 billion this year. The total tax collected by the county will drop from $5.29 million last year to $5.20 million this year.
The county is also getting money from the Oxford Casino. The county is using it to pay for 10 new vehicles for the Sheriff's Office.
The county OK'd the purchase at its meeting Tuesday, accepting a bid from Bessey Motors for about $217,500. It includes trade-ins for eight police vehicles, plus $35,000 in setup costs for a total of $252,474. The county is buying seven pickup trucks and three sedans.
The county will hold on to two other vehicles and discussed using one as a pool car for county employees going to conferences and meetings. Cole said it could be cheaper than mileage reimbursements in the long run.
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