STETSON – Some town residents may be surprised when they open their tax bills, to be mailed Friday, Carol LaPlante, Stetson administrative assistant, said Wednesday.

Because of a jump in school payments, the local mill rate has increased by $2 per $1,000 valuation. A rate that was 15.6 mills last year rose to 17.6 this year, she said.

For a property valued at $100,000, that means an extra $200 in taxes.

LaPlante attributed the hike to a $59,000 increase in the town’s assessment to SAD 64. “It was almost a 20 percent increase,” she said. “It was major.”

The selectmen did some quick math and determined that Stetson sends 150 students to SAD 64 schools, she said. With an overall school assessment of $402,000, they determined that each student was costing $6,055, which is far above the state average.

She said the school budget was approved during an open district meeting, which about 30 people attended.

Many residents “don’t realize the link between their town meeting, the school budget meetings and their tax bills,” LaPlante said. “In the past 10 years, there has never been any opposition to the school budget.

“Either Stetson residents are willing to pay that rate for education or they are disenfranchised from the system,” she said.