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Farmington property owners received welcome news at the end of a long revaluation process: Property tax rates were coming down, and homeowners were poised to get some much-anticipated relief.

Unfortunately, that relief was short-lived. The appraisal company that conducted the revaluation provided city leaders with incorrect figures, forcing an increase in the tax rates.

Town Manager Erica LaCroix said two values from KRT Appraisal were wrong: The Business Equipment Tax Exemption was slightly understated, while the Homestead Exemption was overstated — by a factor of 10.

To help offset the higher rate, town departments have been asked to freeze noncritical spending. A special town meeting is scheduled for Nov. 13 to discuss how Farmington can raise an additional $2.3 million in local taxes.

LaCroix said officials plan to meet with KRT to review the errors and their impact.

“The hard reality is that the numbers are wrong,” she said, “and the town has to raise more taxes than anticipated.”

Still, it is not all bad news. Many property owners will see some tax relief — just not as much as they had hoped.

In newsroom news: We are now in the second week of our Monitor Local launch and the first week of our year-end fundraising drive. We need to raise $200,000 to power our nonprofit, in-depth reporting.

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Farmington officials to increase property tax rate after receiving incorrect revaluation figures: A noncritical spending freeze has been ordered for all town departments, and a special town meeting has been scheduled for Nov. 13 to decide how to generate an additional $2.3 million from local taxpayers. Read this story by Ben Hanstein

As winter approaches and the ground freezes, dry wells could stay dry through spring: Tempting as it might be for homeowners to pour river water directly into a dry well, it is not recommended by Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention and, in some cases, is illegal. Read this story by Jon Bolduc

Waterville considers establishing a local board of health: The city’s director of code enforcement doubles as the local health officer. In a post-pandemic world, those public health tasks take time away from building inspections and other vital building code work. Read this story by Judith Meyer

While The Maine Monitor does not place its content behind paywalls, some newsrooms we link to in this newsletter may. 

Photos of a Farmington middle school principal dressed as an ICE officer for Halloween has led to debate and controversy in Franklin County and beyond. | Sun Journal

The principal spoke to the issue in a letter to the RSU 9 community. | Daily Bulldog

Jay is moving ahead with plans to strengthen its infrastructure to be more storm-resilient. | Livermore Falls Advertiser

Local groups are fighting against men’s loneliness by bringing people together over food, woodworking and conversation. | The Maine Monitor

Several counties, including Oxford, are seeing more cases of parvovirus and other canine diseases. Owners are being urged to vaccinate their pets. | Morning Sentinel

Three of the four MSAD 58 towns have established withdrawal committees that are researching the pros and cons of leaving the district. | Rangeley Highlander

Oxford Hills voters approved the construction of a state-funded school in Paris at Tuesday’s referendum. | Advertiser Democrat

Voters in Fayette updated the town’s administrative ordinance but rejected a proposal to use town equipment to plow a private drive at Tuesday’s referendum. | Livermore Falls Advertiser

Rep. Jared Golden of the 2nd District will not seek reelection next year. | NOTUS and The Maine Monitor

A wood bank in Salem Township opened this week, providing eligible households with firewood at a reduced cost. | Rangeley Highlander

Bethel has three ongoing initiatives to help families facing food insecurity in the face of the potential loss of federal food assistance. | Bethel Citizen

Have feedback, a correction or know of something we should look into? Send it to our newsroom. You can reach Monitor Local editor Judy Meyer directly via email: judy@themainemonitor.org.

The Maine Monitor is a publication of the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, an independent and nonpartisan nonprofit news organization that produces investigative journalism. We believe news is a public good and keep our news free to access. We have no paywall and do not charge for our newsletters. If you value the reporting we do for Maine, please consider making a donation! We cannot do this reporting without your support.

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