LIVERMORE FALLS – According to his calculations, the town would not have enough income to pay the complete amount owed to SAD 36, Town Manager Alan Gove has said of the proposed Palesky tax cap.
Gove has presented several scenarios to selectmen on how the town might continue to operate by using its excise tax revenue and state revenue-sharing finds and by cutting the school assessment to pay the county tax and the Wausau tax increment financing.
All those efforts would still leave the town with an 85 percent cut, or only about $350,000 to fund local services.
Of that, hydrant rental costs $181,000, leaving the town with $170,000 that would be quickly eaten up in basic items such as ambulance, street lights, insurance and state-mandated services.
Gove says that would leave the town $34,000, not enough to pay one police officer, highway worker, the town treasurer or the manager. “All municipal services are dependent on personnel; they are labor intensive; basically we could do nothing,” he said.
After reviewing Gove’s figures Monday night, selectmen agreed unanimously to support opposition to the tax-cap proposal but were vocal in their disgust of the state’s lack of action to solve the property tax problem.
“I’m tired of the government setting on their hands and not doing anything and now they want to take another five years to fund schools to 55 percent,” said Russell Flagg. “A penny increase in sales tax is not going to break you and it’s fair and equitable.”
Bill Demaray agreed, noting he would support the tax cap if it weren’t so devastating. But, should the issue come around a second time after legislative inaction, he would be for it.
In other business, the board suggested that the code officer and Planning Board need to come up with a simple outline of setback requirements and other regulations that could be available to the public when the code officer is not on duty.
The town office staff was given permission to attend training on Oct. 7 and to close the office that day, and to close for a half day to assist in moving the office upstairs.
Gove was designated to sign for the Main Street sewer project; Maxine Bailey was appointed to the Board of Appeals; and winter salt will be purchased from International Salt.
The town will receive $5,040 from the Maine Department of Transportation for plowing from Shuy Corner over Park, Depot and Main streets to the Jay town line and to plow Bridge Street, all state roads.
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