WOODLAND, Maine — Woodland selectmen Monday night tabled setting 2018’s mill rate, ultimately deciding to hold a special meeting at 12:30 p.m. Monday, June 18, to determine the tax commitment.
Selectman Carl Grant said that the state of Maine increased homestead exemption reimbursements from 50 percent to 62.5 percent, and that the town’s software, TRIO, “didn’t pick up the change,” meaning that town officials need to request a Microsoft Excel document from the Maine Revenue Service with the change intact.
While selectman did not want to speculate what this year’s mill rate will be, the town recently voted forward a $58,721 increase in the municipal budget and a $126,676 increase in the school budget. However, selectmen did say the increased reimbursement from the homestead exemption will offset some of the tax increase, reducing what the hike otherwise would have been.
The 2017 mill rate was 19.75.
Grant reiterated that the increase to 62.5 percent in the homestead exemption “is a good thing” for local taxpayers and, after a brief discussion, town officials settled on holding the special meeting on June 18 at the town office to set the mill rate for the year.
