STOCKHOLM – A recent correction of omissions in the town’s tax records has allowed the Board of Selectmen to reduce the mill rate by 2.5 mills this year, back to what the rate was two years ago.

During the 2000 tax year, the Irving Pulp and Paper Co. was not taxed. That caused last year’s mill rate to climb from 21.5 to 24 mills.

As a result of the correction, a resident with property valued at $50,000, will see his property taxes drop from $1,200 to $1,075.

Another omission was discovered in May of this year. The Irving company, a major landowner in Stockholm, was issued a supplemental tax bill and has since paid in full its $24,453 tax bill for last year, according to town manager Gloria Plante.

This week, tax bills are going out for the present tax year, and tax rolls have been corrected, Plante said.

According to Stephen Lemay, a property tax appraiser with the Maine Revenue Service, the property tax ledgers have been corrected. He found several omissions when he audited the town’s property tax records. He found smaller omissions as well during the audit.

“It wasn’t the fault of any individual who was working there,” Lemay said this weekend. “The books were being done by hand, and that makes it difficult.

“The town has now computerized its records, and all omissions have been corrected,” he said. “I helped them to make sure that all properties in the town are now on the spreadsheet.”

Lemay checked Stockholm’s records back to the 1998 tax year to make sure all properties are listed on the tax rolls. He picked up the clerical error when he noticed a sizable gap in the town’s property tax receipts earlier this year.

Before the omission had been discovered, selectmen had increased the mill rate last year to make up for the lost revenue. He said he could not tell how the omission occurred, or who was involved.

“Problems can compound very quickly,” he said. “Taxes have gone down considerably this year, because of the increased property taxes this year.”

The mistake, announced at the town meeting in June, had caused some friction between the present town manager, and the former town manager, Kelly Landeen. Both women believed the mistake was caused by the other. Landeen, who left office in February 2000, demanded an apology from the Stockholm Board of Selectmen. She claims the mistake was made after she left office.

Plante said this week that she worked from records left by Landeen, and that the mistake was a carry-over from before she took office.

Contacted last week, Landeen said she has not received an apology.

Lemay said he did not want to get involved in the controversy. His audit, he said, is geared toward keeping the town in compliance with applicable laws. The audit also determines the town’s state valuation.

The town budget this year includes $157,326 for municipal expenditures and $110,163 for educational costs.