At their regular meeting on Aug. 18, the Bremen Board of Selectmen explained to about 25 concerned residents and members of the budget committee why the mil rate went up this year, despite the town and school budgets remaining almost the same.
The increase in taxes this year is due an accounting error last year, said budget committee member Lisa Wilson, who helped the selectmen explain the problem.
In 2009, there was an item on the town warrant to use $130,000 from surplus to help reduce the tax rate. However, that item was struck from the warrant at town meeting because it was incorrectly worded.
“It would have been illegal if we had voted on it,” said Bremen Town Clerk Joanne McGregor.
However, when the 2009 mil rate was calculated, McGregor accidentally included the $130,000 reduction in the calculation.
This led to the town using a mil rate of 11.3 in 2009.
This year, the $130,000 was not included, so taxes increased to accommodate the additional funds needed to make up for it.
The mil rate this year is 12.5.
“Speaking as a resident, when you start running numbers for things as important as the mil rate, there needs to be more than one person checking them,” Wilson said. “That $130,000 mistake should have been caught.”
The problem may be compounded by the fact that ultimately the town used that $130,000 to pay for town operations in 2009, despite the fact that it was not voted on, Wilson said.
The town is required by law to pay their bills, and because the budget was under funded, the money to cover the difference – about $130,000 – was taken from surplus.
After the meeting, the selectmen contacted Maine Municipal Association and were told that they were within their legal rights to the use the surplus money to the fund the budget, and that they did not need to hold a retroactive vote to approve using the funds, said Wendy Pieh, Chairman of the Bremen Selectmen.
The Heath Road will be reduced from 30 mph to 25 mph. The selectmen voted unanimously for this reduction.
Following approval of the reduction on the Heath Road, Dennis Prior requested that the speed limit be reduced on the Medomak Road and that the town consider installing speed bumps.
MMA frowns on the use of speed bumps because they are a potential liability in the event that they cause an accident, said former selectman Hank Nevins, who said he has looked into the issue in the past.
Nevins suggested that Prior contact Lt. Rand Maker at the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office to request patrols in the area during the times that there are usually the most speeders.
There are currently no regular traffic patrols on the Medomak Road, Prior said.
The selectmen said they would contact the LCSO and voted to reduce the speed limit from 35 mph to 25 mph.
Following that vote, amidst general confusion and with little discussion, the selectmen also voted in favor of a resident’s request to lower the speed limit on the Fogler Road from 30 mph to 25 mph.
“You can buy all the new signs you want, but it’s not going to increase enforcement,” said Selectman Bob Miller, who abstained from voting on the Medomak Road and Fogler Road reductions.
