DIXFIELD — The town has 24 tax-acquired properties, including 13 from 2009, Town Manager Eugene Skibitsky told selectmen Monday night.

“This is a sign of the times: 13 properties in one year,” he said.

The total of 24 is the highest the town has ever had, according to current officials. During 2008, only three properties were acquired by the town for nonpayment of taxes.

Selectmen at their next meeting Feb. 8 will decide what to do with the properties that include mobile homes, parcels of land and houses.

“We need to think about whether we can accept partial payments, whether to put some out to bid,” he said.

The growing number of tax lien foreclosed properties is not unique to Dixfield, Skibitsky believes. He said the Maine Municipal Association is planning to conduct a survey of tax lien foreclosures in the state’s more than 400 municipalities.

In Dixfield, the amount of property taxes lost due to tax-acquired properties is $64,588.

  In another tax-related matter, the board unanimously voted to spread the $223,000 left from school consolidation over three years, with $23,000 for the remainder of fiscal year 2009-10. The remaining money will be divided equally for fiscal years 2010-11 and 2011-12.

Skibitsky believes the next two years of municipal budgets will likely have a greater need, and therefore $100,000 for each year could better help keep the tax rate the same.

  When SADs 21, 39 and 43 disbanded and formed the Western Foothills Regional School Unit 10, each of the 11 towns were credited with remaining school tax money. Those funds, though not returned to individual towns, would then be applied to their current school tax bills.

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