POLAND — The Select Board has learned that the 12.74% increase in its Androscoggin County tax from last year is primarily due to the $89 million increase in the state’s valuation of the town for 2022.
According to county figures, Poland’s valuation is $842.1 million. The year before it was $753.15 million.
County Administrator Larry Post and Androscoggin County Commissioner Terri Kelley met with the board Tuesday night to explain why Poland’s $1.02 million payment for 2023 is $115,000 more than last year.
Town Manager Matt Garside said he and the Select Board “couldn’t reconcile how it all worked out.”
Post said the increase in the town’s valuation caused its share of the county tax to rise to 8.83% from the previous year’s 8.35%. He said Poland’s share was 8.53% in 2018, 8.56% in 2019, 8.47% in 2021 before falling to 8.35% last year.
This year’s .5% increase is the highest among the 14 Androscoggin communities, according to a report by the county Budget Committee.
At its last meeting the Select Board had to amend the town meeting warrant article dealing with the county budget due an adjustment made by the county when the initial figure of $964,800.
But that figure was wrong due to a typing error by the town. The figure was supposed to have been $994,131.
The county Budget Committee updated the number to $1.019 million when it discovered it estimated the county’s incoming revenue should have been $100,000 less, therefore increasing communities’ contribution.
The town received a brief notification of the higher figure earlier this month.
Select Board Chairman Stephen Robinson told Post and Kelley that there should be more of a formal and direct method of informing towns and cities what their share of county taxes than the the current process.
Robinson also suggested a brief summary of how the town’s share is determined should accompany the bill.
The current process has communities read what their share is from a multipage county budget report, which is done in the fall.
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