LEWISTON — Councilors asked the city assessor Thursday for a one-year delay before implementing the citywide property revaluations, with notices set to hit mailboxes April 24.

A one-year delay provides homeowners and businesses 15 months to digest their new valuations and prepare for the 2027-28 tax season, according to City Assessor William Healey. 

Having the sole responsibility for implementing the revaluation, Healey suggested to councilors a full and immediate implementation. However, he did give preference to the one-year delay over a three-year phase-in as was suggested by city officials at the council’s April 9 budget workshop.

Healey said a phase-in would be confusing for property owners and banks, costly for the city and exhausting to the city assessor’s staff.

“(If) we keep Tyler Technologies on the payroll, (we would) have to pay them anywhere from, depending on which level, between $200,000 and $800,000 more,” Healey said after the workshop. “I don’t like the concept. I think it’s very confusing … and banks holding escrow would have a really hard time figuring it out.”

Tyler Technologies is the firm conducting data collection, sales reviews and modeling valuations. Healey said extra costs associated with a one-year delay would be about $5,000 to $10,000 for Tyler to carry out software adjustments.

Citing impact to property owners — as residential properties will increase by an average of 180% in value while commercial properties will increase an average of 150% — councilors heavily favored the one-year delay.

While property values will rise under the revaluation, the city’s tax rate will drop from $32.78 per $1,000 of assessed value to about $16.90 under the 2027 budget being considered by the council.

Several councilors acknowledged the delay would give the city time to spread the word about programs that could soften the impact of any property tax increases residents may face because of increases in the following year’s budget.

BUDGET CUTS

Regarding work on the city’s 2027 budget, councilors Thursday appeared to be leaning heavily toward trimming eight current staff positions.

City Administrator Bryan Kaenrath on Tuesday proposed three tiers of cuts to the proposed budget currently before the council, which tallies $68.13 million, a 6.6% increase over the current budget of $63.4 million. Each tier included and excluded the cost for new vehicle purchases and a vehicle take-home program for the police department.

Tier 1 reflected a 6.1% increase over the current budget — with or without the vehicle add-ons — and no staff cuts. Tier 2 proposed three staff cuts, for a 5.6% or 5.4% budget increase depending on the vehicle add-ons. And Tier 3, which proposed cutting eight city positions, would see a 4.8% or 4.6% budget increase depending on the add-ons.

Councilors lamented the thought of a budget eliminating as many as eight positions, but some concluded that softening the economic impact on taxpayers of an already large budget increase should be this year’s goal. 

Councilors Susan Longchamps of Ward 2 and Michael Roy of Ward 4 continued their support of the Tier 1 option, keeping police vehicles. Councilors Joshua Nagine of Ward 1, Scott Harriman of Ward 3 and Council President David Chittim of Ward 6 showed more support for some version of Tier 3. Ward 5 Councilor Chrissy Noble backed Tier 3 after supporting the Tier 1 option. 

Councilor Bret Martel of Ward 7, absent from the workshop, previously voiced support for the Tier 3 option.

Harriman said he hoped for more information on which departments would see cuts before making a decision. However, Kaenrath said the city needs to go through a process based on collective bargaining agreements to notify those who may be losing their jobs. He said the city’s attorney advised not to share departments or names even in an executive session.

“We want to make sure we do everything obviously to the letter of the law,” Kaenrath said after the workshop. “But you want to notify people first before they find out in a public setting that their position is being discussed for elimination. … They are people.”

Hoping councilors would favor a Tier 1 option, Mayor Carl Sheline said the city does not have extra personnel and that any staff layoffs would result in a reduction of services.

“I recognize that this is a difficult situation that impacts our employees’ lives,” Sheline said after the workshop. “I trust that administration will conduct this process in a fair and objective manner, preserving as much dignity as possible.”