Palesky plan on agenda of Eddington meeting

EDDINGTON – Town assessors will be at tonight’s select board meeting to describe to the board how a tax cap initiative on the November ballot would affect the town and its services.

Activist Carol Palesky’s tax cap plan, modeled after California’s 1978 Proposition 13, scales back assessed property values to their 1996 level and would cap property taxes at $10 per $1,000 (10 mills) of that value. It also would limit assessments to an increase of no more than 2 percent a year, except for properties that are sold or newly constructed.

The tax initiative also allows communities to collect enough additional tax above the 10 mills to cover debts incurred before July 1, 1999.

Proponents of the initiative say lower property taxes would draw to Maine companies looking for lower tax rates but opponents of the initiative say it would cripple communities.

Also on the meeting’s agenda are:

. A free community barbecue set for Sunday.

. Property tax rates for 2004.

. Progress on Interstate-395 alternative 3EIK-2 support letters.