PARIS – County commissioners decided the The Bear Mountain Inn v. Town of Waterford tax abatement case was over their heads Tuesday, so now they are seeking a professional assessor’s advice.

The two owners of the inn claim they were assessed unfairly in the property tax process. Their attorney, Dana Hanley, has made a series of claims stemming from a mistake made in the 2003 assessment process. Commissioners have 30 days to make a decision, and that can only be extended with the permission of all involved parties.

Once an assessor is hired, he or she will make a visit to Waterford, and then spend a limited amount of time with each party, commissioners decided Tuesday.

The Bear Mountain Inn case has spurred communication between the commissioners, who are now discussing appointing a separate appeals board to hear the abatement arguments, and then make a recommendation to commissioners.

“We have seen a level of complexity that goes beyond our level of expertise,” Chairman Steven Merrill said at Tuesday’s meeting.

Also, the commissioners said they would like to schedule the more complex hearings outside the normal meeting time. The Bear Mountain Inn case took up two hours of meeting time in August, and one hour in September, delaying other business the commissioners needed to discuss, Commissioner David Duguay said.

Even after that time, Waterford Selectman Whizzer Wheeler had argued that he did not have enough time to make his case.

“We can’t have this,” Merrill said, lifting up an inch-thick binder with documents from the inn. “People come in with volumes of paperwork and expect to get through it in a short meeting.”

Commissioner Jeffrey Fagan said the county is seeing more abatement requests because of rising tax rates.

“Property taxes make a significant difference in a household,” he added.

Commissioners hope to have a decision on the Bear Mountain case at their Nov. 14 meeting. In addition, Waterford is holding a special meeting Oct. 25 to discuss how it assesses taxes.

The inn on Bear Pond is owned by Deborah Hall and Lorraine Blais and is charged $700 per linear foot along the lake. During the abatement hearings, Hanley compared their property to others, which were charged less, but seemed nicer, Hanley said.

Wheeler contended that all property was assessed fairly. Lake property values are determined on desirability, he said.

Also, several residents are questioning the town’s 25 percent property tax surcharge for businesses. Town officials defend the surcharge, saying that businesses stress the town’s resources.

Hanley is arguing that many parts of the Waterford assessment process are unconstitutional, and has brought this before commissioners.

“We are realizing and recognizing that we are not professional assessors, (so we should) get an opinion from a licensed assessor,” Merrill said. “We’re not in that business.”