LIVERMORE — Selectpersons Tuesday night, Aug. 30, set the tax rate at $16 per $1,000 of property valuation and approved offering additional health insurance coverage for employees.
Four scenarios were provided by assessing agent Paul Binette of John E. O’Donnell & Associates in New Gloucester at the request of Administrative Assistant Aaron Miller.
“In talking with Paul, your spending is down, revenue sharing is up,” Miller said. “You have seen an increase in personal property, so it looks promising.” The current tax rate is $16 per $1,000 of assessed value, $50,000 was taken from the undesignated fund balance last year, he noted.
Selectperson Scott Richmond moved to keep the rate at $16. The overlay – amount available for tax abatements – would be $153,252.78.
Funds not used are returned to the undesignated fund balance.
Last year money was taken from that account so taxes wouldn’t have to increase as much, Richmond said. “We are not taking any out this year,” he noted.
Tax rates of $15.95, $15.85 and $15.75 were the other scenarios. The overlay for each would have been $141,702.85, $118,602.98 and $95,503.12 respectively.
Selectpersons also approved offering 100% health insurance for employees and 65% of health insurance costs for their spouse and children.
“We are having a hard time finding experienced people for the highway department,” Chair Mark Chretien said.
Health insurance has always been covered for employees, he noted.
“Do you have any sense annually of what having that benefit would cost this town?” Selectperson Brett Deyling asked.
It would be roughly $11,000 per person per year, Chretien replied. The employee would pay the remaining 35% with the amount dependent upon the plan chosen, he noted.
Livermore provides health insurance through Maine Municipal Employees Health Trust. Data shared at the meeting shows coverage for the employee is $1,086.21 per month. A family plan or a plan for the employee and spouse is $2,559.25 monthly. One for an employee and their children is $1,772.34 per month.
“A couple of people would have applied but without health insurance they just couldn’t do it,” Richmond said.
The benefit would be for all eligible town employees, he added.
“If you don’t offer (family health insurance), if you get somebody without experience (plowing snow), you will put the money into the truck,” Chretien said. “You will pay one way or another.”
When asked about contracting plowing out, Richmond spoke of three towns that had done that and then started their own departments due to the lack of reliable service from those contracted.
“You are already established,” Miller said. With contracting out you won’t get cold patching, ditching, cutting woods, he added.
“We have 41 miles of road ourselves, 48 with Crash Road and Route 108,” Chretien noted. “We have got to do something to be competitive.”
Richmond asked if there was enough money in the budget.
Deyling said he was open to using American Rescue Plan Act funds for this year then reworking the budget next year.
Miller will check to see if a special town meeting is needed to appropriate ARPA funds.
Selectpersons also agreed to advertise for the highway department position using a range of $18-$21 per hour based on experience. The new health insurance option would also be included.
In other business it was noted members of the Brettuns Pond Association are interested in helping with beach clean-up and would like a shed there to keep supplies in. Central Maine Power is expected to install a light and power would allow better camera coverage of the area. A copy of Turner’s Beach Ordinance was shared to use as a template to develop a beach ordinance for Livermore.
Consultant Audrey Lovering attended the meeting to discuss the economic development proposal she had submitted. She said she has had a consulting firm for about 15 years and was hired by Skowhegan to be their first Main Street director.
Lovering and Associates’ economic development plan highlighted the Route 4/Route 108 corridor. Creating a strategy for that business corridor is a multiphase, multistep process. It noted the plan should interconnect three baseline elements — sectors, workforce and community & connectivity — to thrive. Assessing the current state of the region, identifying the value proposition, evaluating and creating new initiatives, establishing public-private partnerships and rural hubs are needed steps to create the plan, the proposal states.
Time needed to complete the eight steps included in the plan depends on what the town has for data and background information, but could require 140 hours or more. The company charges $85 per hour.
When asked, Lovering said there is always room for a couple small restaurants, more medical and technology facilities.
“It’s a beautiful place to telecommute,” she said. “A lot of industry is looking to move to Maine.”
Livermore could be the first stop for tourism businesses such as sports, fishing, biking, she stated.
It was noted knowing what people want their town to be is an important first step.
Deyling will put together a survey to send out with the tax bills. Replies can be completed and returned to the town office for those without computer experience. Survey Monkey will also be available for the tech savvy.
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