POLAND – Poland may be in for a full property revaluation in the near future, and it will likely mean big increases for those with waterfront property, the Board of Selectmen said Tuesday night.
Selectman Glenn Peterson had broached the subject at the Dec. 21 meeting, saying that he felt a full valuation was needed to give the greatest benefits possible to homeowners claiming the Homestead Exemption.
A report by Roland Moreau, a field examiner with the Maine Revenue Service, informed the board that those claiming the exemption were not being hurt by the current valuation. It was, however, determined that those with waterfront property were likely going to face a significant increase in taxes and that the longer a full valuation was delayed, the greater would be the increase.
In other business, Androscoggin Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Reilly Bryant told the board the town is still experiencing a wave of burglaries, despite recent arrests in the case. Bryant urged residents to report suspicious activity and license numbers of any suspicious vehicles.
Fire Chief Willie Rice asked selectmen to add a position to the EMS side of the operation that would allow the department to handle two calls at once. Poland, he explained, is one of the few communities that both answers calls and transports victims where needed. This means, he said, if only one person is on call that person is unavailable if another call is received. Rice said he had been putting aside money to help fund the position.
The Recreation Department received two recent donations: $1,974.38 from the Prive family and $500 from Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart has pledged to match donations to community organizations, up to $1,000 per year.
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