Dover-Foxcroft board sets mill rate at $17.15

DOVER-FOXCROFT, Maine — The Board of Selectmen on July 23 approved a mill rate of $17.15 for every $1,000 in assessed property for the 2012-13 fiscal year. It is an increase of $1.75 from the previous year’s figure of $15.40.

“We were up on the municipal side of the budget and the school side of the budget,” Town Manager Jack Clukey, explaining the reasons for the tax rate increase.

The more than $3.9 million in municipal appropriation and nearly $2.4 million in local educational appropriation make up much of the near $7 million in total assessments for 2012-13 — which also include more than $411,000 in county tax, more than $188,000 in overlay and nearly $107,000 in the TIF financing plan. After accounting for more than $1,866,000 in revenues, the net assessment for the 2012-13 commitment totals $5,132,492.

“The assessors have to acknowledge the market value of the town,” Clukey said, noting that the total taxable valuation for Dover-Foxcroft dipped below $300 million from more than $313 million the year before, a reduction of about 4.5 percent. “That change in valuation does affect the mill rate,” he said. The loss in valuation represents 0.75 of the 1.75 mil rate increase.

In other business, town officials discussed the suspension of the Communities for Maine’s Future program. “This is concerning bonds we have been counting on not being available to us,” said Cindy Freeman Cyr, vice chairman of the Board of Selectmen.

Clukey explained that Communities for Maine’s Future, or CMF, was funded by bonds approved by Maine voters in June 2010, and the office of Gov. Paul LePage intends to issue the bonds in 2014 instead of now. The delay will mean that an alternate method of funding will need to be found to cover the roof work costs for Central Hall, and the river walk portion of the Moosehead project also will not be able to occur until awarded CMF funding is restored. Clukey said 11 towns across the state have projects funded through the CMF program and they are working to together to get the approximate $3.5 million in combined funding restored.

“The total awarded was $400,000 between the two projects,” Clukey said, noting contracts were signed with the state last November after funding was awarded to move along with the process.

“We found out last week that the actual borrowing by the state that needed to take place didn’t happen,” he said. “There was a pause in the projects and the timing for the funding was not clear. The governor’s office is saying that he is not intending to issue the bonds until 2014.”

The Friends of Central Hall “are at a critical time in the project,” Clukey added. “The building needs a roof. They are exploring whether there are ways to fund the project. We really don’t know currently where we stand, but are hopeful we get can the critical funding that we need.”

Clukey said he and Chris Maas of the Friends of Central Hall attended a meeting of some of the other towns affected by the suspension of CMF funds. He said the communities are willing to work together to urge their legislators to have the monies released and would like to meet with LePage as a group to inform him of the need for the funds.

Maas explained that currently water is leaking onto the upper floor of Central Hall from the roof, particularly in the back section of the structure he called “the shed.” He said a beam for the shed needed to be raised in order to prevent damage that may not have been able to be repaired and doing so loosened the connection to the roof, which allows for large amounts of water to come through, not just a slight drip.

“That building’s probably not going to last another winter,” Maas said. He said other work on the building, such as to the electrical system, cannot be done until upgrades funded through CMF monies are finished.

The Friends of Central Hall committee “has met and the Central Hall committee has met and we have decided to go as far as our money would take us,” he said, mentioning that money donated for the purpose of paying utility bills and keeping Central Hall running would remain for the purposes for which they were contributed.

The selectmen gave Clukey their approval to draft a letter with the other Maine communities to LePage. They also said an invitation would be extended to Sen. Doug Thomas, R-Ripley, and Rep. Paul Davis, R-Sangerville, to the August meeting to discuss the need for the release of the CMF funds.

“The bills for the Central Hall have been paid by the historical society and not the taxpayer,” Selectman Jim Annis said in addressing some concerns from residents he has heard.

On another matter, Maas said he has been working with the town and the Piscataquis County Economic Development Council on an application for a federal signage grant. He said the application is seeking funds for welcome signs, a dozen interpretive signs and other signs for locations of historical interest. Clukey said the Safe Routes to School/Transportation Enhancements grant is being sought for the signs, a flashing speed sign on West Main Street near Foxcroft Academy and sidewalk repairs.

“We have been a long time without a welcome sign, so thank you very much,” Freeman Cyr said.

The selectmen gave their approval to refinancing wastewater project loans through the Maine Municipal Bond Bank.

“A lot of our indebtedness is through wastewater and sewer projects and [Finance Director Dave Johnson] put this together to see if it would be better to refinance,” Clukey said, referring to a summary of loan refinancing options.

He said some of the town’s loans are eligible to be refinanced at a lower rate through the Maine Municipal Bond Bank, at a savings of nearly $10,200 annually. The total estimated savings, due in part to 1.25 percent interest rates instead of at least 4.5 percent, comes to over $521,000 under the plan.

“This is another instance of our town employees working to save us money,” Annis said. “They are busy really working for the taxpayer.”