MILLINOCKET, Maine — A projected property tax reduction of about $83,000 means town taxpayers could pay the same or slightly less in property taxes next year, Town Manager Eugene Conlogue said Thursday.
With the Town Council due to start reviewing his proposed budget and the mill rate due to be made final in October, the figures and their impact are far from certain but they look good at this point, Conlogue said.
“We are trying to hold the line on taxes and the mill rate but we can’t guarantee what the mill rate would be at this point,” he said Thursday.
This year’s mill rate, 25.6 mills, could decrease by three-tenths of a mill, he said. A 25.6 mill rate means that a homeowner with a $100,000 property would pay $2,560 in property taxes annually.
Town Council members held their first budget workshops on Tuesday and Wednesday and more are scheduled for April 3, April 4 and April 10. Councilors generally were pleased with Conlogue’s budget presentation on March 22.
Conlogue praised councilors and his department managers for their frugality.
“It is a real accomplishment here for everybody because of where we have been,” he said in reference to last year’s budget crunch, which forced the layoff of a half-dozen full- and part-time employees.
“There are no proposals to eliminate any other positions before the town this year,” Conlogue told councilors. “I am really pleased to tell you that because as you recall we had quite a problem with that a year ago. At this point all positions are funded.”
Councilors Jimmy Busque and Gilda Stratton said they hoped that the savings could produce enough extra funding to get more streets and sidewalks paved or repaired.
“Our sidewalks and streets are in dire straits,” Stratton said.
“We can see our streets are in disrepair,” Busque said. “It is getting to the point where we need to do something.”
Council Chairman John Davis suggested using more of the town’s reserve funds to repair streets. He dismissed auditors’ warnings that dipping into those accounts too much could threaten the town’s credit rating.
“I agree that we need to have a surplus,” Davis said, but “I have never seen one [auditor] that said it was enough.”
The council’s first public hearing on the budget is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. May 10 at the Town Hall.
The money spent on the swimming pool and the walking path could have helped pave our streets. Quit wasting money , spend it where it’s needed.
Why not make your comments in person at the town meetings and not on BDN!
I t would not havee done any good on the trail, money had to be specifically spent. The attitude was if we do not spend it the Federal Gov. will give it to someonelse.
I thought you people don’t like or trust the Federal Gov.
I was saying, that if we did not spend it someone else would.
Bruce, take it easy, beyondme is trying to be funny with the NP thing
That money was not earmarked for a walking trail in town. That money was for a trail system from town to the lake using exsisting trails, and building a few new ones. It fell to the wayside a few years ago.
true though the town was allowed to change where the trail would be. On grants it should be that if it is not used for that specific purpose it should go against the National Debt or back into the general treasury not to someone else. Though I think it would of been better down the Rice Farm road or the start of a trail to East Millinocket.
Amen to that! 25.6 mill rate in this podunk town? Give me a break. For what!! The first to go should be Mr Decisiveness himself, Eugene C. He’s the biggest drain on our town budget due to his inability to focus upon bringing positive development to this region no matter what the source. Eugene and his cronies serve to only further their misguided ideas.
A high mil rate pretty much goes with low valuations. Nice personal attack you have going there on someone that works hard for us.
Why thank you… But I do believe that personal attacks is refering to fellow posters…
Works hard for us??? He’s a bit more than self serving…keeps the drama and the discourse stirred up so that people thinking that he is doing his job. But it’s nice to see that you’re one of the koolaid drinkers here in mlkt. Have a nice day Cliffy
When was this information obtained? Seems like this was a story from a week ago that is just now being written.
Edit: This same story ran yesterday in the Lincoln News, now a day later it is written on the BDN site.