RUMFORD — The 2014-15 tax rate isn’t expected to be set until sometime after Labor Day because the assessors are still gathering information.

They’re looking for normal valuations from Rumford paper mill NewPage Corp. and Brookfield Power, which operates the Pennacook Falls Dam on the Androscoggin River.

“This is nothing out of the ordinary,” Linnell Geronda, assessor’s agent, said Friday afternoon. “They’re still trying to gather information.”

She said that for many years, Rumford didn’t set its tax rate until the end of August. Since then, there have been delays. Taxes are normally due by Oct. 1.

Rumford’s current tax rate is $24, she said.

At Thursday night’s selectmen’s meeting, Selectman Frank DiConzo speculated that the rate could shoot up to $30 to cover an overall town and school budget of almost $15 million. But Town Manager John Madigan told DiConzo he wasn’t taking into account incoming revenues.

Geronda also dismissed DiConzo’s opinion.

“You can’t speculate until you have all the figures,” she said.

Earlier this year, NewPage sought an abatement on $64.74 million of assessed valuation for its Rumford Paper Co. It wanted to pay $1.5 million less in taxes than it did in fiscal year 2013-14.

However, following an executive session on May 1, the Rumford Board of Assessors voted 3-0 to grant an abatement of $223,000, based on the recommendation of its assessor, Bill Van Tuinen of Madison.

Van Tuinen said the valuation he produced for the board in April 2013 for the Rumford mill erroneously included the value of certain real and personal property located in other municipalities, especially the mill’s landfill in Mexico. Rumford cannot tax property in other municipalities.

tkarkos@sunjournal.com

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