WOODLAND, Maine – Woodland’s local mill rate will increase this year following a vote from the selectboard Monday.
Board members unanimously passed a rate of 20.2 mills per $1,000 of property value, an increase from last year’s rate of 19.8 mills.
The board also approved a local certified ratio of 108 percent, placing Woodland above the state’s certified ratio of 96 percent. The local certified ratio represents the difference between actual sales prices for Woodland properties and property values. Certifying above the state’s ratio will allow Woodland residents to receive an increase in their Homestead Exemption – $27,000 instead of $25,000.
Taxes will be due Oct. 31, and residents who pay in full before that date will receive a 3-percent discount. A 4-percent interest rate on unpaid taxes will start Nov. 1.
Any resident who owes taxes from prior years must pay their oldest bill before paying this year’s taxes, said board member Kathy Ouellette. The board voted unanimously in favor of that rule.
In other business, the board voted to spend $37,653 from the town’s equipment repair budget for a new engine on the town’s 2009 Red International plow truck, and to post advertisements for a temporary summer highway employee.
Woodland’s highway department typically has three full-time workers, including Road Commissioner Paul Pelletier, and one part-time worker. A temporary worker would help the current full-time crew of two until Pelletier returns from a medical leave in October.
