JAY — Selectmen set the 2012 tax rate Monday to $13.75 per $1,000 of property valuation, a 30-cent increase over last year’s rate of $13.45.

The town’s budget was down this year and the county budget only rose slightly, Town Manager Ruth Cushman said. The increase reflects the amount Jay has to pay for the school budget, an amount that’s up, running more than $700,000.

Cushman expects tax bills to be sent out within the next week or two. Taxes this fall are due on Oct. 1 and in the spring on April 1, she said.

In other business, the board unanimously passed a bidding policy. The policy outlines steps for the town to follow for both requests for proposed bids and request for quotes. It also includes a clause providing a local advantage for any business within a 15-mile radius. All things being equal on the quotes with not more than a 5 percent difference in price, the local business will be considered first, she said.

The policy applies to quotes for town equipment or anything the town purchases through a bid process.

Selectmen also agreed on a fund-balance policy.

“It reinforces what we are doing,” she said.

The target is to keep a certain amount in the town’s fund balance, an amount that would provide a 90-day operating budget for the town, she said.

The board also discussed the need for residents who are undertaking a construction project to continue contacting the town before starting the work, she said. Although there is now a state building code, homeowners need to check with the town to ensure the project meets the criteria for things like road setbacks or whether it’s within a shoreland zoning area.

abryant@sunjournal.com

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