FARMINGTON — Selectmen set the 2012 tax rate Tuesday to $16.60 per $1,000 of property valuation, a 59-cent increase over last year.
Based on budgets adopted at town meeting, the tax rate includes an overlay of nearly $10,706, an amount expected to cover abatements given during 2012, assessor Mark Caldwell explained to the board in a memo.
The rate is not offset by any funds from the undesignated fund balance, which the board can use to reduce the rate.
Selectmen agreed with the town auditor’s recommendation that the fund should be increased and not used this year.
The higher tax rate represents the town’s struggle with valuations not increasing at the rate they did in earlier years. There’s no construction and not many new homes or businesses to add to the valuations, Caldwell told the board.
“It’s the slowest year in a long time,” he said.
The figure also represents a decrease in state revenues to the town, he said.
The University of Maine at Farmington, Franklin Memorial Hospital and churches are exempt from paying property taxes, although Town Manager Richard Davis told the board some, such as the university, have made voluntary contributions to the town in lieu of taxes. The UMF contributions helped with a firetruck and the Sewer Department, he said.
In other business, the board met new UMF President Kathryn Foster, who has been on the job for three weeks. She is currently staying in a dorm on campus with Upward Bound students while the president’s home is updated and made handicap accessible. She is expected to move in by mid-August, she said.
Foster plans to hold events, meetings and entertain faculty, students and town leaders at the High Street home and it needed an ADA update and some painting, she said.
The university will celebrate its 150th birthday starting next summer, Foster said, suggesting the town be included in the festivities.
The board also approved employment of Sarita Crandall as an office assistant for the Parks and Recreation Department.
abryant@sunjournal.com
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.