Municipalities worry about resulting changes in tax base
By Jennifer Ruth
Staff Writer
LITTLETON — The Aroostook Band of Micmacs is taking steps to ensure that “history does not repeat itself.”
For the past two years, the Band has been working with the Federal government in having more than 400 acres of land in the Aroostook County area put in trust. There are 300 acres in Caribou and more than 100 acres in Littleton. Keeping their land safe has become a top priority for Tribal leaders and in working with the local municipalities; they have begun the process to ensure that protection.
“The biggest reason why all tribes want to have their land in trust is so that history doesn’t repeat itself and the land is taken away from them again,” explained Bob DeAngelis, planner for the Aroostook Band of Micmacs. “This is the Federal government’s assurance that the land would always belong to the tribes.”
DeAngelis said having the land put in trust is a timely process, which includes creating pilot programs with municipalities to negotiate a payment for taxes agreement.
“We have to make a good faith effort to negotiate a,” he explained. “I think we’ve made our good faith effort.”
DeAngelis said the Band has already begun meeting with Littleton officials. Town Manager Jennifer Gogan felt losing the land’s tax base would be a great loss to the town.
“That will take $887,958 out of our tax base,” she explained. “They have 100 acres and nine homes and an office. That is their assessed value. Their 2007 tax is $13, 630.”
Gogan said the land trust agreement would create a significant problem in the town’s valuation process, which could result in the increase of local taxes.
“It will affect our mill rate,” she said. “It will increase it.”
Gogan said the town is looking into Federal funding that can be made available to the towns through the pilot agreement with the Aroostook Band of Micmacs and she added they are currently in the process of doing that.
Caribou officials also addressed what their loss would be — lose almost $20,000 in taxes.
Recognized by the federal government in 1991, the Aroostook Band has approximately 1,000 members, most of them living in Aroostook County. The Micmac Nation numbers 29 bands with about 30,000 members throughout the northeast and Canada.
The Aroostook band owns land throughout Aroostook County, including acreage at the Loring Commerce Center, Presque Isle and Littleton. In Caribou, the band owns about 500 acres.
According to BIA officials, the proposed use of the property is to provide single-family housing for band members and to increase the tribal land base. The final decision will be made by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior as to whether the land is put into trust or not.
