POLAND – Town officials opted not to send out a flier that shows a potential negative impact on residents if the Palesky tax-cap referendum passes this week.

Selectmen questioned information and assumptions made in a multipart information packet that included a worksheet that shows a typical resident paying more for town and school services through fees than the amount of property taxes saved if the tax cap passes.

“I just don’t agree with the assumptions here,” said Board of Selectmen Chairman Glenn Peterson. “Some of this is just fanning the flames. I would rather the flier say that if we get the high school closer to the state average, we really wouldn’t have to cut much at all.”

Selectmen, instead, agreed to send out postcards announcing a public forum for tax-cap impact discussion and informing residents where they can get additional information.

“And we should put on there, `Don’t believe everything you read,'” said Peterson.

Town and school officials will hold a public forum on the potential tax-cap impact at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Poland Community School. Budget numbers and assumptions prepared by town and school staff will be available at several local gathering places, such as the Town Office, Ricker Memorial Library, and some Poland businesses.

Selectman Steve Robinson objected to halting the flier mailing when the board had previously agreed with the School Committee to send out information. He voted as the sole opposition vote in the 4-1 decision to cancel the flier. Robinson voted as part of the unanimous decision to send the postcard.

“We’re changing the way we were going to handle it,” said Robinson. “It’s not whether I think this is the right way or not. But we agreed with the School Committee that this is what we would do.”

Fellow board member David Corcoran said he had no objections with school officials sending out their own information.

“It’s my belief that half of the people voting on this issue have already decided, and we’d just be wasting half of the money there,” said Corcoran. “The other half are seeking information, and we can still make sure that it’s available to them.”

Poland students have already come home with information approved by the Poland School Committee that estimates $1.26 million would be cut from kindergarten through grade 12. The cuts would include eliminating 22 staff positions.

The homeowner worksheet shows fees of $3 per bag of trash for disposal, $180 per extracurricular activity per high school student, and $30 per extracurricular activity per middle school student. In addition, the worksheet figures in the loss of federal and state income tax deductions for decreased property taxes.

Selectman Bud Jordan doubted whether voters would make the effort to become familiar with the issue or whether they will vote at all.

“They’re the ones who voted for all of these taxes in the first place,” said Jordan. “It wasn’t anything that we did. Even if this thing doesn’t pass, we still have to give it some serious thought. We can’t just keep going up and up.”

Peterson added that town officials should point out to voters that they have the final say on how their money gets spent by participating in the annual town meeting.

“The citizens are the bottom line,” said Peterson. “They say how they want to divvy up the pie. It’s not just how school or municipal administrators want to spin this.”

Robinson agreed that more discussion is needed to reduce expenditures in both school and municipal operations.