LISBON – Selectmen expect to roll back the 2005-06 property tax rate to the 2001 level.
After reviewing draft figures, selectmen anticipate setting the new tax rate at $24.25 per $1,000 valuation at their next meeting, on Aug. 2. Town Manager Curtis Lunt said selectmen are pleased that their work to keep the rate down is “paying off” with a $1 reduction from last year’s rate of $25.25 per $1,000. That rate has been unchanged for the last three years.
For an average house value of $96,000, taxpayers will see a reduction of about $100 in taxes, which includes an increased homestead exemption, Lunt said.
In other business during Tuesday’s selectmen’s meeting, the board awarded Beauregard Equipment Co. of Scarborough the contract for a five-year lease-purchase of a new 509 Case backhoe for the public works department, based on its low bid of $65,750.
Also accepted was Augusta Ford’s low bid of $28,054 for a four-year lease-purchase agreement for a 2006 Ford Expedition for the fire chief. Selectmen also agreed to spend an additional $5,000 from the firetruck refurbishing account to equip the vehicle.
The town will receive $116,000 from the Maine Department of Transportation’s Urban-Rural Initiative Program this year, a slight increase over last year.
The board accepted Agneizia Pinette’s resignation from the Planning Board.
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