JAY — Selectpersons will hold a special town meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 14, in the Spruce Mountain Middle School cafeteria to ask voters to restore curbside trash and recyclables collection.

The warrant asks voters to consider raising and appropriating $120,000 for the townwide service.

Selectpersons received a citizen petition in June with 373 signatures of registered voters requesting that a special town meeting be held on the matter.

The select board and the Budget Committee proposed a Transfer Station budget approved by voters April 25 that did not include money for the contracted service. It was an effort to reduce spending in light of the decreasing value of Verso’s paper mill in Jay and the town’s second $1.33 million payment to the company to settle a three-year tax dispute. 

The town used to provide the curbside service and then went to a contracted service to reduce spending.

Townspeople are facing an estimated tax-rate increase of $1.60 per $1,000 of property value. The new rate would be about $22.70 based on preliminary figures, Town Manager Shiloh LaFreniere told selectpersons July 31.  That follows a $3.85 increase in last year’s rate.

If the curbside service is approved, the tax rate is estimated to rise an additional 20 cents to an estimated $22.90.

Selectpersons will meet at 3 p.m. Monday, Aug. 14, at the Town Office to set the tax rate.

An unknown factor the town is facing is an increase in hydrant rental costs from the Livermore Falls Water District. Any increases in that district will affect the Jay Village Water District, which buys its water from the Livermore Falls district.

The increase may be beyond what was budgeted for hydrant rental in the 2017-18 budget, LaFreniere said.

A request for an increase in the Livermore Falls district’s rates is before the Maine Public Utilities Commission, she said.

dperry@sunmediagroup.net

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