POLAND – Presentations by two competing consulting firms hoping to win a town contract raised several questions Tuesday that ultimately will lie in the hands of locally elected and appointed officials.

Among the questions: Does Poland want to be aggressive in attracting industry? Does Poland want to protect its small-town image but offer more services to its residents?

Also: Does the town want to work and invest with other communities in developing industrial parks? Is the town concerned about protecting its water resources?

And what will the residents support when it comes time to make decisions?

All of these questions and others arose during a joint session of the town Board of Selectmen and Planning Board. The session was scheduled to hear proposals from PolicyOne Research Inc. of Portland and Community Dynamics Corps of Auburn on how each firm would approach economic development for Poland.

As of 9:30 p.m., town officials were still in session. Poland selectmen are expected to choose a firm during one of the board’s upcoming regular meetings. The budgeted cost for the consultant work is between $10,000 and $12,000, according to the town’s request for proposals.

The impetus for looking at the town’s economic potential came from a desire to broaden Poland’s tax base, according to the request for proposals sent out earlier this fall. The town relies heavily on personal property taxes from Poland Spring Bottling Co. and residential property taxes.

“The town doesn’t really have a five- or 10-year plan,” said Selectman Steve Robinson. “We’ve always been fairly reactive. That becomes, number one, very expensive; and number two, we’re not in control of our own destiny.”

When asked about public opinion, Selectman Bud Jordan answered, “You can have all the business you want, but just not next to me,’ is the perception that we have to overcome.”

Jordan added that some people will disagree with current plans to rezone areas in Poland for different uses.

Representatives for Community Dynamics Corp. touted its success throughout Maine in developing economic strategies for communities and implementing those same plans over long-term working relationships with towns. They also stressed their ability to help towns acquire financing and make agreements with other towns in sharing costs and revenue.

“Unless you put the brakes on with a moratorium or something, you’re going to grow whether you like it or not,” said Steve Levesque for Community Dynamics Corp. “It’s a matter of how you manage it.”

In contrast, Jim Damicis of Policy One Research Inc. stressed his company’s expertise in analyzing municipal finances and natural resources.

“Everyone thinks that if you bring in more development that their taxes will go down,” said Damicis. “I’m here to tell you that it’s not the case. The wrong kind of development and growing too fast will actually increase the tax rate.”

Damicis gave examples of towns having to pony up initial costs for providing infrastructure such as wastewater treatment plants and ongoing costs of needing to beef up police and fire services for businesses.

Both firms agreed that public support will be crucial in whatever town officials decide. Both firms agreed that Poland’s proximity to Portland and the Lewiston-Auburn area is an advantage to the town. However, both firms also noted that providing business-ready infrastructure will be an issue for Poland.