WEST PARIS – Selectmen announced Thursday that the tax rate for the coming year will be $17.05 per $1,000 valuation, which is an increase of $1.35.

“This was the best we could do considering we lost Penley’s Mill from our tax base,” said Chairman Wade Rainey, and a budget $100,000 higher than last year’s was approved by the voters at the annual town meeting in March.

The mill closed last year, putting more more than 50 people out of work.

Rainey said the allowable tax rate under state guidelines this year was between $16.70 and $17.53, “and we decided to set ours in the middle of the state range.”

Tax bills will be mailed early this week.

The board also scheduled a special town meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 26, in the meeting room at the town office. Voters will decide on accepting a grant of $3,750 from the Maine Community Foundation, to be used for expanding the Arthur L. Mann Memorial Library. They will also decide on accepting a Homeland Security grant of $15,039 for fire department air packs.

Voters will be asked to rescind Article 46 from the March 6 town meeting, appropriate $24,573.73 from the capital reserve account, and spend $60,426.27 to cover the cost of purchasing a new plow truck.