PARIS – A special forum Thursday on the Palesky tax cap was heavily lopsided after cap proponent Carol Palesky canceled her appearance.

While the Oxford Hills Chamber of Commerce had for weeks been advertising its debate between Palesky and tax-cap opponent Geoff Herman of the Maine Municipal Association, the event turned into a one-man show.

As Herman took the floor at the Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School forum, he spoke about possible problems with the tax cap, including conflicts with the state Constitution.

The cap proposes a rollback in property value assessments to 1996-97 levels. It also would cap municipalities’ mill rates at 1 percent, or $10 per $1,000 of assessed property value.

The rollback may be illegal, Herman said, because the state Constitution requires that all properties be assessed at their present market value.

He also discussed an effort by the Maine Municipal Association to predict the effect of the cap on municipalities throughout the state.

The cap would result in a $600 million reduction in property tax collections statewide, he said. “That’s not subjective analysis, that’s not tomfoolery, that’s not trickery – it’s just mathematics.”

The reduction would cover about 30 percent of the statewide property tax collections, Herman said.

Norway Town Manager Dave Holt reminded everyone that local towns and SAD 17 will hold another forum on the tax cap at 7 p.m. Thursday in the high school.

Audience members submitted 3-by-5 index cards with questions for Herman. Schools, out-of-control state spending and alternative tax-reduction measures were discussed.