The Lamoine Quaterly - October 2004

College Project Yields High Quality Maps

(Bar Harbor) - A college course at Bar Harbor’s College of the Atlantic has paid nice dividends to the Town of Lamoine. The Land Use Planning class at COA used mapping information from the town and prepared a vast array of maps for the town to use.
Several years ago the College took the town’s tax maps and converted them to digital information. From that base, the students were then able to overlay various studies and show things such as exactly where the aquifer lies, where the mapped gravel pits are located, what types of soils are located in a particular area, and even where the wildlife lives.
The maps are being put into a display case at the Town Hall for review by any member of the public who wishes to view them. The Conservation Commission which cooperated closely with the students feels the maps will be particularly helpful in the Long Range Planning process.
The maps were also preserved in computer format and can be viewed easily on a computer. Long Range Planning Chair Brett Jones has copied the files from the CD ROM provided by COA for distribution to committee members and the Planning Board.

Tax Rate Falls For 04/05

(Lamoine) — New building projects approved in the last two years are credited with lowering the property tax rate in Lamoine by 2/10 of a mil. The Board of Assessors set the tax rate at 13.8 mills, compared to 14.0 mills last year. That’s a 1.4% decrease, or a $20 savings on a property valued at $100,000.
The town increased its local valuation by 4.3 million dollars thanks to new construction projects. The total tax commitment, the amount of property taxes needed to run the town, rose about $38,000 this year. Taxes are due October 31st.

Parks Ordinance Developed

(Lamoine) — Selectmen are accepting comment on a proposed Parks Ordinance currently under development. The basic draft came from the Conservation Commission and passed through the Planning Board unchanged. The Selectmen planned a public hearing on the ordinance development on September 30th, with an eye toward putting the measure to town meeting in March 2005. A copy of the proposed ordinance is available at the town’s website: www.lamoine-me.gov.
The ordinance, among other things, would establish a Parks Commission to carry out the various aspects of the rules.

County Secession Debated Among MDI Communities

(Lamoine) — Municipalities on Mount Desert Island may explore secession from Hancock County following a League of Towns meeting held in Lamoine in September. Led by Mt. Desert Selectman Patrick Smallidge, community leaders say they’re not getting services in return for the tax money contributed to the county coffers. Three of the four towns on MDI run their own police department and rarely use the services of the Sheriff’s Department. All the communities have their own emergency dispatchers, separate from the county’s Regional Communications Center.
Because of high property values, the MDI Communities pay a significant share of the county tax. Lamoine will pay $93,276.09 for the county tax this year. The town does not have a police department or dispatching operation and relies on the county for such services.
Administrative Assistant Stu Marckoon told the meeting he did not intend to place secession on a Selectmen’s agenda unless requested to do so by the Selectmen. He asked Mr. Smallidge where services such as the jail and registry of deeds would come from. Mr. Smallidge said they would put the service out to bid.

State Valuation Increases Sharply—New Values Coming

(Lamoine) — The State Property Tax Division says Lamoine should be worth $159,800,000 in aggregate taxable property for 2005. That’s up $15,350,000 from the 2004 valuation, or a 9.2% increase in land values.
In the same report, the state figures that the assessment ratio (the local value vs. the state valuation) has fallen to approximately 67%. Unofficial tracking of sales since April 1, 2004 show that on average, the assessed value is running about 42% of the sale price!
When the assessment ratio falls below 70%, towns are supposed to go through the revaluation process, and that is planned for this winter. The town will perform what’s called a factored revaluation. RJD Appraisal, the company that does much of the valuation work, will compare actual sale prices to the current valuation and figure out factors to increase the parcel values to better reflect current market prices. The process will cost the town $18,000.00.

The Lamoine Quarterly