JAY – Residents are circulating a petition asking selectmen to phase in new valuations over a two-year period instead of implementing them this year.

They plan to present the petitions to selectmen at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 5, at the Jay Middle School cafeteria before the board sets the tax rate.

The town conducted a revaluation of residential property, employing an industrial assessing firm to do the same for industries. After the new values went out, 220 people made appointments with assessing agents in August to review their properties’ new values.

More than 110 people came to the Aug. 28 selectmen’s meeting to discuss increasing property values with many saying their valuations had increased by a range of 50 percent to more than 100 percent.

They also wanted to know how they were going to pay the taxes on their properties, especially since the first half of tax bills is due in October.

If the town didn’t conduct the revaluation of residential properties to get them up to 100 percent valuation, it would open the door for industries to ask for an abatement, town officials said earlier.

The petition also says that “The citizens of Jay … want to control their tax rates through spending reductions at the next budget session.”

“I don’t know if it’s going to work,” but petition organizer Judy Diaz said it’s worth a try.

She has made copies of the petition and has placed them at businesses and given them to residents to collect signatures. It’s a grass-roots effort, she said.

“We’ve got to do something; a lot of people are living on a fixed income or are retired,” she said. “Everywhere I go people are saying they don’t know how they’re going to pay their taxes.”

Bill Harlow, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, said he saw the petition Thursday night.

“We have been looking at all options – that is one we’ve been looking at,” he said. “I am trying to find out the effect there would be if we did this – if we didn’t do it all at one time. I’ve been sitting here brainstorming about what we could do.”

He said he and other selectmen are trying to figure out what their options are.

Harlow told residents on Aug. 28 that they approved the budget in April. The beginning of the fiscal year began July 1.

Diaz said that about 600 voters of about 3,500 registered voters approved the budget and she’s hoping more will turn out next April when it’s time to vote on the operating expenses for municipal and school services.

Last year, Jay’s tax commitment was $21 million.