WEST PARIS – After a vote by selectmen Thursday, bids will be going out regarding the 2003-04 assessment review and the 2004 annual property assessment program.

According to Chairman Wade Rainey, sending the two processes out to bid is the fairest way to handle the issue.

“I have been doing the assessing since 1991,” said Rainey, “but I don’t feel I should be bidding for the job today. Also the assessing in the past has been done by the selectmen as a board, but today the process is much more complicated with the new laws the way they are now and the state recommends assessing by done by a licensed assessor.”

Rainey did agree, however, to update the tax maps as he has done in the past for a total cost of $1,000.

Along with the annual assessing program the board will also be looking for bids on the tax review process for 2003 as a separate bid that could run concurrently with the regular assessing.

The board decided that bids must be in by the middle of April in order to have the assessing and review done by the end of June.

In other business, selectmen authorized the road commissioner to go ahead and order a 2004 Sterling plow truck for a quoted price submitted by Whited Trucks of Auburn.

The bid was the lowest of three bids. The other bids were for an International for $51,400 and a Freightliner for $48,936.

It was also decided it would be best to go with the Sterling as the town already has one and that truck has served the town well.

After ordering the truck, which will be the chassis only, Keach will be obtaining prices for a new body, plow and sander over the next two weeks so a final cost for the entire piece of equipment can be determined.

Rainey said that a special town meeting may be considered later this spring or early summer to possibly fund the purchase by either borrowing what is needed above the $29,487 now available in the capital equipment reserve account, or using undesignated funds.

“That will be decided later after we have full figures for the truck and equipment,” he said.

The voters at town meeting last Saturday approved raising $85,000 for the new truck from taxes, but borrowing or using undesignated funds may be considered as a way to keep the 2004 budget down as much as possible.