OTISFIELD — The Board of Selectmen raised the mill rate Wednesday night from $12.90 to $13.40 per $1,000 of valuation.
“We’re pretty happy. It’s a lot less than last year,” said Selectmen Chairman Hal Ferguson Thursday on the amount of the increase.
Ferguson said the increase was due to “everything becoming more expensive,” including the increases in the SAD 17 and county budget assessments.
Tax bills are due Oct. 15. Voters last year approved a request to move the due date back from November to October to provide better cash flow.
Callie Zalinsky, president of the Bell Hill Meetinghouse Association, met with the board to discuss ongoing efforts to get the Town Pound listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Ferguson said the property has been surveyed. There are no records as to who owns the property so an agreement has been worked out with an abutting property owner to sign a quitclaim deed to put the town’s ownership on record.
The town will begin having easements signed by owners of four dry hydrants. Access easements to the town will make hydrants accessible to the Fire Department and town equipment in case of fire.
Beth Damon, head of the town’s emergency management services and an assistant fire chief in town, met with the board. At the June 16 meeting, selectmen appointed her as the town’s first health officer and she has since received additional necessary certification to fulfill the demands of that position.
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