TURNER – Selectmen voted to issue supplemental tax bills for $74,400 on assessed property values of $5.3 million as the result of a computer glitch that remains unexplained.

Assistant Town Clerk Sandra Philipon told selectmen that the Florida Light and Power and Central Maine Power properties appear on the town’s assessing document but not in property tax billing. FLP’s electricity producing property is assessed at $2.6 million and has now been billed $35,913. CMP’s electric distribution property is assessed at $2.7 million and has been billed $38,487.

Philipon said she had contacted Northern Data Systems, installers and programmers of the town’s computer system, to ask how the glitch occurred and was told they didn’t know.

Town Manager James Catlin said, “There is no way of knowing how many other properties might be similarly listed.”

He said that until the computer system is upgraded, “The only way to determine that number would be to manually go through both lists and cross-check them. That would be terribly time-consuming,” he said.

Board Chairman Dennis Richardson and member Ralph Caldwell were incredulous that the computer system could not match billings with assessments and wondered how the error came to be known. Philipon replied, “An official from Florida Light and Power called to inquire why his company had not been billed for taxes.”

Selectmen have been discussing for a number of weeks whether or not to invest tens of thousands of dollars in an update of the computer system that both town office workers and board members recognize is inadequate to meet present-day demands. At the end of their last discussion of the subject, selectmen voted to address the issue during next year’s budget cycle.

Philipon reminded selectmen that the billing error would result in a reduced cash flow for the town since those tax bills were sent out late.

In other action, Catlin told the board of a tri-town (Greene, Leeds, Turner) municipal officers’ agreement to conduct a formal debate on the Taxpayers Bill of Rights referendum question facing voters on the Nov. 7 state ballot. The Maine Municipal Association representing Maine’s 450 towns and cities is opposed to the tax limitation initiative and will send its legislative representative, Geoffrey Hermann, to participate, while the proponents will send William Becker. The debate is open to the public and will be held at Leavitt Area High School in Turner at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 24.

Selectmen received a quarterly review from Volunteer Fire Department Chief Mike Arsenault and Assistant Chief Ross Gagne. They reported department equipment meets state standards, that servicing dry hydrants is continuing on schedule, members are attending meetings of fire departments in the region and improving relations with those departments, that the remarking of Route 4 in the southern end of town has decreased the number of vehicle accidents, and that as of Monday’s meeting the department has 49 names on the volunteer roster. Arsenault said that roster would be checked the first of the year to be sure that those persons on it are attending training, responding to calls, or attending maintenance nights at the stations.

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