MINOT — By a unanimous vote, Minot selectmen Monday set the 2014-15 tax rate at $15 per $1,000 in property value.
Selectman Eda Tripp, chair of assessors, offered the board two alternatives and the board selected the alternative that allowed the tax rate to remain at a level that hasn’t changed for three years.
In order to maintain the rate, the board approved taking $50,000 from the town’s unexpended fund balance. Other funding sources used to hold down the tax rate included using $130,000 from revenue sharing and $500,000 from excise taxes.
“We’ve held steady at $15 for three years now, but we probably won’t be able to next year,” Town Administrator Arlan Saunders said.
Property tax bills will be in the mail by next week.
Selectmen also voted to accept a $2,500 donation from the Minot Center Grange No. 266 to the Arthur Harris Scholarship fund and approved making an addendum to the name of the fund to read as the Arthur Harris and Minot Center Grange No. 266 Scholarship fund.
The Minot Center Grange No. 266 is disbanding, and Grange board members agreed that the Arthur Harris Scholarship fund was a fitting use for money that had been raised to benefit local causes.
Dean Campbell, in his report as fire chief, noted that with the dissolution of Grange No. 266, the State Grange, which owns the building and property, could put the property up for sale. This, he said, would have repercussions for the fire and rescue department as the communication tower is located on the Grange’s hilltop property.
In response, the fire and rescue department is having a conversation with American Tower to see about putting an antenna and repeater on their tower on Harris Road.
Highway Supervisor Scott Parker reported that the paving on Death Valley Road is complete, ending this year’s summer paving program.
Saunders noted that Parker was aware that the funding was going to be close and and made adjustments as the program progressed.
As a result, Parker managed to stretch the funding in order to finish all the streets that were in the program and, as Saunders reported with congratulations for a job well done, ended with a $84 balance in the account.
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