NORWAY – Local officials may find themselves plowing town roads this winter, or so the Board of Selectmen half-joked Thursday when discussing the Palesky tax cap initiative.

The board is considering a special meeting to educate the public about the tax cap because members are concerned its passage may cripple town services.

People don’t necessarily connect their tax dollars to the town services they receive, Town Manger David Holt said. But if the Palesky cap passes in November, there may be no money left for plowing roads, paying police officers or anything else.

Board member Bill Damon said passage of the cap would “affect (town) services like the devil.”

He’s urging the public to attend a special Maine Municipal Association meeting Sept. 9. It’s intended for municipal officials, but Damon thinks it may be useful for voters.

The entire board agreed to attend the meeting which, under Maine’s Freedom of Access Law, is open to the public.

If approved, the Palesky initiative would cap property taxes at $10 per $1,000 of assessment, based on values in 1996-97.

Holt and several board members noted that Palesky supporters have been complaining about “scare tactics” used by municipalities trying to deter voters from supporting the ballot initiative.

But the cap is based on a model used in California, where property taxes covered only 40 percent of the total tax collections, Holt said.

“In Maine, about 80 percent of the money comes from property taxes, so it’s going to have a bigger impact,” he said. “I think the cut to Norway is not going to be just a big cut. The cut to Norway could put the town out of business.”

The Sept. 9 meeting sponsored by the Maine Municipal Association, which has been adamantly opposed to the tax cap, will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School in Paris.