WEST PARIS — Selectmen have authorized Town Manager John White to negotiate a payment plan with two former property owners to buy back their homes.

The agreement requires the residents to pay back the entirety of their taxes, plus interest and fees owed to the town over a 17-month period. 

At the selectmen’s meeting Thursday evening, Wade Rainey and Dennis Harrison agreed to sell two of the three town-acquired properties on a monthly payment plan. West Paris acquired properties over the winter after two years of unpaid back taxes.

Altogether, the town is owed an estimated $17,000, according to figures presented by White.

All of the properties are inhabited by the former owners who defaulted. White previously said it would be ideal to sell the homes back to their owners rather than force an eviction. 

The town has sent multiple notifications to warn the former owners to pay their bills. Two weeks ago, one of the residents expressed willingness to come to terms with the town, despite what he described as ongoing economic hardship.

The payment plan requires the residents to pay between $400 and $450 per month. If by October 2015 the taxes are paid in full, residents are expected to regain the titles to their former homes.

One of the former owners has not replied to the town’s overtures, White said. It’s estimated the town is owed $6,000 to $7,000, before interest. 

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