FRENCHVILLE, Maine – The town of Frenchville is moving its upcoming special town meeting from Oct. 9 to Oct. 16, during which residents will vote to extend the deadline for taxes before interest accumulates to Jan 1, 2025 and to approve two municipal funding items.
The board of selectmen held a special meeting earlier this week to formally set the date to Oct. 9, but they were not able to do so because they did not have a quorum, or the minimum number of required members to sign the warrant.
Because of this, Town Manager David Cyr said they will have to sign the warrant at their next scheduled meeting on Oct. 8. And because a seven-day-notice is required for special town meetings, it will be moved to Oct. 16.
The town normally commits taxes in August and sets the interest deadline to Nov. 31, but because of a recent revaluation, taxes will not be able to be committed until later this month.
Cyr said the reval has roughly doubled the town’s value, and that town officials are looking at cutting the mill rate in half because of this. This should not result in a significant change in property taxes for the average Frenchville resident.
This is the town’s first complete revaluation since 1978.
The reval was completed last month, with the town undergoing a multi-day appeals process in late September. This process involves explaining where the new value is coming from as well as correcting any mistakes that might have occurred during the new valuation.
The town’s mill rate in 2023 was 24.8.
The first question on the warrant asks if residents will set the due date for taxes and sewer fees before an 8.5 percent interest charge is applied to Jan. 1 of next year.
The second question asks if voters will agree to borrow up to $60,000 to pay for the rehabilitation of manholes along Route 1. This coincides with work being done by Maine DOT that begins on Route 1 just east of the Route 162 intersection.
The third question asks if the town will approve an additional $20,000 for an aeration study as part of wastewater system improvements. The wastewater work was mentioned along with stormwater work during a Sept. 25 public hearing. The entire wastewater project is estimated to cost about $250,000, which will be funded with DEP funds and leftover money from the EPA for two other municipal projects.
If the warrant is signed on Oct. 8, the special town meeting will take place at the Frenchville Community Center at 6:30 pm. The selectmen will then have a special meeting at the town office at 7 pm to set the mill rate.
