Board: Mechanic Falls town council

Met: Monday night

Tax rate

The scoop: The council set the 2007-08 property tax rate at $18.90 per $1,000 of valuation. This marks the third year that the tax rate has held steady at $18.90.

Up next: Property tax bills will be mailed in the next two weeks with the first half of the assessment due by Oct. 15.

Dispatch services

The scoop: Town Manager John Hawley told the council that it appears the plan for a single county-wide emergency dispatch center could increase the town’s cost for emergency dispatch services by as much as $45,000 to $60,000 per year.

Up next: In September, Jim Bennett and Steve French, co-chairmen of the county’s Public Service Answering Point committee, will be going town to town presenting the plan for consolidating dispatch services.

Tax exempt property

Issue: If Central Maine Medical Center Clinic, located in Depot Square, receives tax-exempt status, the town will lose $11,392 in property tax revenue this year.

The scoop: Town Manager John Hawley told the council that when the clinic was approved several years ago as Central Maine Family Health, it was stated that a tax exemption was not going to be sought since the business, as structured, was not tax exempt. Recently CMMC took over the operation and it is now tax-exempt.

Up next: Noting that the clinic is located in Depot Square, with plenty of free parking and receiving a full complement of municipal police, fire, rescue and public works services, Hawley said he is requesting CMMC to consider participating in the payment-in-lieu-of-taxes program, which would lessen the financial impact on the town.

Head Start lease

Issue: Androscoggin Head Start’s request to revise its lease agreement for the building located behind the municipal building.

The scoop: The letter requesting the lease be revised to allow Head Start to occupy the building 12 months a year rather than the current 9 months, notes that this would save Head Start’s teaching, cooking and maintenance staff from having to pack up the entire center every summer. Council denied the request after hearing Sue Martin’s plea that the Mechanic Falls Summer Rec program, which uses the building in summer, could not function properly if limited to space in the municipal gymnasium – the only viable alternate location.

New roof

The scoop: The council awarded the contract for a new roof for the building that houses the fire and public works departments to Industrial Roofing at a bid price of $47,900.

– Winslow Durgin