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MACHIAS, Maine — In October, the Washington County Commission sent letters to 53 municipalities and the Passamaquoddy Nation asking them to consider prepaying their portion of the $8 million 2025 tax anticipation note to ease the county’s debt.
As of this week, 28 towns have agreed to prepay, and three more are scheduled to meet in the coming week to vote on the payment, according to county records.
Towns that have agreed to prepay so far account for $5.5 million, and the county has already received $4.3 million of that amount.
Six towns — Baileyville, Beddington, Danforth, Deblois, Pembroke and Princeton — and the Passamaquoddy Nation have declined to prepay, representing a combined $1.2 million.
Voters in Cooper were scheduled to meet Friday. Machiasport voters were scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. Monday at Fort O’Brien School, and Perry voters were set to meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Perry Municipal Building to make their decisions.
Voters in Roque Bluffs were also scheduled to meet Monday, but officials there have already signaled to the county that they will prepay their share.
Meddybemps Town Clerk Tammi Smith said officials have not scheduled a meeting because they have been focused on sending out tax bills and on $40,000 in community center repairs.
Now that the tax bills are out, Smith said, the town can focus on a decision about the 2025 tax anticipation note, or TAN, prepayment.
County commissioners are scheduled to meet at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Washington County Courthouse in Machias to calculate prepayments and discuss how the county will cover its 2025 tax anticipation note owed to Machias Savings Bank, which is due Feb. 20.
Officials said the meeting will be livestreamed.