Public hearing on mill rate July 28

By Jennifer Ruth  
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — Keeping the mill rate down continues to be a concern for councilors and town officials and Houlton’s town manager is working on a solution.
    On Monday, July 14, Town Manager Doug Hazlett discussed an upcoming public hearing on maintaining the town’s tax rate by using reserves from the town’s coffers. A hearing on the transfer of $300,000 from the undesignated fund balance for the purpose of reducing taxes will be held on Monday, July 28.
    “I’m pleased to report that we’re going to be able to the hold the 18.5 mill rate,” explained Hazlett. “There’s a couple of reasons: because of the nature of the budget passed in January. More interesting is we have a very solid total valuation growth, it’s up 3.6 percent, which is a little more than I had anticipated.”
    There is approximately $1.2 million in the town’s undesignated funds, which has been utilized in the past couple of years to hold and reduce the town’s mill rate.
    Hazlett said because of the town’s continuing growth, the burden on taxpayers would not increase.    
    “… the values in town and new construction — those two things in combination have allowed us to hold the tax rate right where it is,” he explained.
    The next council meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 28 at 6 p.m. in the council chambers.