POLAND – Selectmen approved a proposal Tuesday to repay Poland Spring Bottling Co. a debt of more than $2.2 million over a seven-year period.

Board Chairman Sandra Knowles and selectman Wendy Sanborn presented to the board Tuesday night the repayment plan for the debt that is the result of long-term errors in handling a tax-increment-financing agreement.

Knowles, Sanborn and attorney Bryan Dench, who represents the town, came to the proposal through phone conferences with Poland Spring representatives and attorneys. The proposal outlines a seven-year repayment plan that begins in 2007.

The town would pay the water company approximately $500,000 a year for the first two years, $400,000 the third, $276,000 in years four and five, $150,000 for year six, and $100,000 in the final year of the plan. Poland Spring officials also have agreed not to charge the town interest on the money, and they have forgiven $200,000 of the debt, bringing the amount owed down to approximately $2,085,000.

All members of the board agreed that this was an acceptable proposal given the situation the town is in.

“This looks like the best we’re going to get,” Sanborn said.

Before the board voted to accept or deny the proposal, Sanborn asked that the public be allowed to speak and ask questions. Knowles advised that the townspeople would be allowed to speak at the end of the meeting, when the board officially recognizes visitors not on the scheduled agenda. Given this decision, the board voted 4-1 to accept the repayment plan. Sanborn voted against it, due to the fact that citizens were not heard before the vote.

In other business, the board also reviewed the proposed ordinance to recall public officials. This was accepted at the last selectmen meeting, and has since been reviewed by Dench, who made a few technical corrections.

The board voted 5-0 to accept the newly edited version of the petition because members said the changes would make it more effective and they accurately represented the purpose of the original petition.

The document must now go before voters, and there was some discussion as to whether or not there should be a special town meeting called. Sanborn inquired about the cost of one, and Assistant Town Manager Rosemary Roy explained that a special town meeting would cost roughly $2,000 between notification mailings, employee overtime and paperwork.

Board member Lionel Ferland moved that the ordinance be placed in the agenda for the next regular town meeting in April of 2007. In the event that a special town meeting is called for other reasons in the meantime, the item would be placed on that agenda. The board voted 4-1 in favor of this, with Sanborn voting against it.