JAY — The Board of Assessment Review on Wednesday denied Verso Androscoggin’s appeal of the mill’s 2013 tax abatement.
On Jan. 6, selectpersons agreed to lower the mill’s April 1, 2013, valuation of $814.4 million to $592.9 million, factoring in tax-exempt property. It resulted in an abatement of $829,258.
Verso appealed the decision in late January. The company maintains that the mill and its property should have been valued at $460 million for the April 1, 2013, tax year before exempt property was subtracted.
The Board of Assessment Review also unanimously voted that Verso did not provide sufficient evidence during two public hearings, held Monday and Wednesday, for the board to revise the assessed value of the mill property.
The mill will likely go on to seek a state appeal, said Marc Conner, regional vice president and mill manager at the time the appeal process began.
It is disappointing but was expected, he said after the meeting.
Board members said it was difficult to understand and resolve the difference in valuation numbers provided by town assessor’s agent Paul Binette and outside appraisers CVI of Portland, Ore., and an appraisal report done by Duff & Phelps for the mill.
They did not believe Verso, which had the burden of proof, provided enough evidence or experts to explain its case.
Verso contended that its property was overvalued by about $225 million. While the tax rate in Jay in 2013 was $14 per $1,000 of valuation, Verso contends a higher tax rate of $17.51 per $1,000 was used to calculate the abatement, according to John Aromando, who represented Verso.
That was 25 percent higher than the rate applied to other properties, said John Block, who also represented Verso.
Verso paid $8.5 million in taxes in 2014, which is comparable to the $8.2 million paid in 2013 after the abatement, said Gerald Petrucelli who represented the town.
abryant@sunmediagroup.net
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