Due to an increase in state valuations and a decrease in the amount of surplus applied to reduce 2015 taxes, some municipalities in Lincoln County will see a significant increase in their county tax commitment.
The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners approved a $10.67 million budget in December 2014 for the 2015 fiscal year. The budget was a 3.85 percent increase from the previous fiscal year. Lincoln County’s fiscal year runs from January to December.
With revenue and $140,000 in surplus applied to the budget, the amount to be raised through municipal taxes in 2015 is $9,133,556 – a 4.94 percent increase from the previous year.
According to Lincoln County Administrator John O’Connell, the county’s auditor, Chris Backman of the RHR Smith accounting firm, pointed to the use of surplus to reduce the tax commitment as problematic. $230,000 in surplus was used in 2014 to reduce the tax commitment.
Only $140,000 of the county’s $466,000 in surplus will go toward reducing the municipal tax commitment in 2015. On the advice of the auditor, $256,000 will be transferred to the county’s reserve accounts, which auditors have said, “are lower than is desirable or prudent,” according to a memo from O’Connell.
The municipal tax commitment to the county budget is based on state valuations, which increased dramatically for some Lincoln County municipalities in 2015.
Boothbay will face the largest increase in their county tax commitment – an increase of $82,990.74. Boothbay’s county tax commitment jumped from $1,141,502.46 in 2014 to $1,224,493.20 in 2015.
Waldoboro will see the second largest increase of $41,015.23 – their tax commitment will jump from $571,778.85 in 2014 to $612,794.08 in 2015.
State valuations for Somerville, Alna, and Monhegan Island decreased in 2015, resulting in negligible increases in their share of the county budget. Somerville’s tax commitment increased $1,075.93 from $63,591.43 in 2014 to $64,667.36 in 2015.
Alna’s county tax commitment increased $3,489.83 from $91,578.91 in 2014 to $95,068.75 in 2015. Monhegan Island’s tax commitment increased $2,935.29 from $109,652.91 in 2014 to $112,588.19 in 2015.
Boothbay Harbor’s county tax commitment increased $27,100.03 from $908,837.61 in 2014 to $935,937.65 in 2015. Bremen’s county tax commitment increased $7,914.27 from $235,747.70 in 2014 to $243,661.97 in 2015.
Bristol’s tax commitment increased $36,850.77 from $1,136,243.47 in 2014 to $1,173,094.24 in 2015. Damariscotta’s tax commitment increased $35,557.09 from $403,974.84 in 2014 to $439,531.93 in 2015.
Dresden’s tax commitment increased $4,181.83 from $167,985.35 in 2014 to $172,167.18 in 2015. Edgecomb’s tax commitment increased $14,150.61 from $250,315.70 in 2014 to $264,466.31 in 2015. Jefferson’s tax commitment increased $36,171.19 from $382,878.45 in 2014 to $419,049.64 in 2015.
Newcastle’s tax commitment increased $29,760.33 from $343,043.13 in 2014 to $372,803.46 in 2015. Nobleboro’s tax commitment increased $29,953.91 from $361,721.60 in 2014 to $391,675.51 in 2015. South Bristol’s tax commitment increased $9,769.81 from $737,769.41 in 2014 to $747,539.22 in 2015.
Southport’s tax commitment increased $8,056.10 from $778,451 in 2014 to $786,507.10 in 2015. Westport Island’s tax commitment increased $10,532.27 from $264,883.70 in 2014 to $275,415.96 in 2015. Whitefield’s tax commitment increased $10,171.95 from $224,987.93 in 2014 to $235,159.85 in 2015.
Wiscasset’s tax commitment increased $37,232.05 from $510,121.76 in 2014 to $547,353.80 in 2015.
