LIVERMORE FALLS — Getting failed articles reworked and sent back to voters and approved is crucial to applying for a sudden and severe valuation impact in the town this summer, Town Manager Jim Chaousis told selectmen.

Chaousis previously estimated that the town would lose about $30 million in valuation due to the closing of Wausau Paper’s mill last year.

If the town’s valuation is not corrected this year within a certain period of time, then it wouldn’t be done by the state for about three years, he said.

In order to commit taxes, Chaousis said, the budget lines need to be completed.

The valuation change will not affect this year’s tax bills but it would next year.

The most important aspect is that state education subsidy is based on valuation, he said. Chaousis estimated that $250,000 could be lost if the application is not filed on time.

He recommended that the select board have an immediate meeting with the Budget Committee to come up with numbers for the two articles.

That meeting has since been scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, June 24, at the town office, Chaousis said Tuesday.

It is obvious that the people have a problem with the amounts in the articles, he said Monday, and there needs to be adjustments made.

Voters rejected that the town raise $178,992 in Article 13 for administration by a 286-359 vote. The town manager’s salary, and tax collector’s and excise tax collector’s wages, and the contracted fee for animal control officer are included in that article. Legal fees and dues for several organizations, including Jay, Livermore, Livermore Falls Chamber of Commerce, Greater Franklin Development Corp. are also included.

They also declined to raise $76,931 for elected officials in Article 12 by a 286-359 vote. It covers wages for selectmen, treasurer and the assessor agent.

The select board had recommended approval of both articles while the Budget Committee recommended $168,490 for administration and $73,663 for elected officials.

Chaousis also recommended that they send the articles back to voters via an open town-meeting vote.

“In the special town meeting there is the ability to adjust amounts,” Chaousis said, and voters may also elect to cast secret ballots.

Selectmen directed Chaousis to set up a meeting with the Budget Committee.

They also re-appointed Budget Committee members Monday for a six-month period to allow them to work with the board to develop dollar amounts to go with articles that failed at the polls.

The re-appointment also included an extension of the oath they took previously. After the articles pertaining to administration and elected officials are finalized to go before voters at either a special town meeting or referendum, then town officials will work on creating staggering terms for the Budget Committee.

Residents voted to officially adopt a Budget Committee this year, though there has been a committee for years.

Chaousis said he would like to have the town meeting as soon as possible. It would take a seven-day advanced posting rather than a 45-day time frame for a referendum vote that requires absentee ballots be available for 30 days.

“I’m not sure a special town meeting is the best way to go,” Demaray said. Residents voted by a 5-to-1 margin to hold town meetings by referendum, he said.

“We want to make sure the public is served,” Demaray said. “They’re the ones that run the town.”

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