State says Willimantic taxes fair

DOVER-FOXCROFT – A state tax agency conducting a limited audit of Willimantic’s tax records has found no inconsistent property values in the town, even though some residents think their taxes are unfair and inequitable.

The state audit, done by Maine Revenue Services, was requested by Piscataquis County commissioners because more than 10 tax abatement requests have been filed by Willimantic residents, two of which were heard Tuesday. The commissioners are expected to act on the remaining abatement requests in April.

Residents allege that there has been no consistency in the assessing and that the local assessors have used different assessing manuals. They claim the town’s assessing has been so sloppy that some property owners were charged for buildings they did not have, others were billed for nonexistent porches, some properties have not been assessed, and others have not had their values increased in several years.

Mike Rodgers of the MRS Property Tax Division said Tuesday, however, that he had found no smoking gun.

“The valuation went up consistently, lake properties went up consistently. There are a few that didn’t change, I’ll admit that,” Rodgers told the commissioners and about 20 Willimantic residents Tuesday at a commissioners meeting.

He also said he found a few “glitches” from errors caused by the town’s use of a computer approximately 15 years old.

Rodgers said he examined Willimantic’s valuation book, which is the town’s legal tax record, and reconciled every entry for the past four years. He did not review the tax cards, which he said are not required in towns. After putting the valuations into a spreadsheet and computing the work, he said he found no inconsistent values. The state law wants communities to be assessing above 70 percent of market value and to have an equity level of 20 percent or below, which Willimantic has done, he said.

Willimantic is no different from other rural communities in Maine, Rodgers said. In fact, there are communities in much worse shape, he said.

“It more solidified our position that we agreed on earlier, that Willimantic’s problems are within their town,” commissioner Chairman Woodrouffe “Tony” Bartley said after the hearing about the audit results.

Residents need to address their problems through town meeting action, he added.

The three commissioners will continue to hear the abatement requests.

The state audit did little to pacify some residents, who said they thought it fell short because no visual inspection was done of properties in question. Willimantic resident Rick Packard claimed the town had $1 million in property valuation left off the tax rolls “on purpose.” He asked Rodgers whether the state audit picked that up, and the state official said no.

Rodgers asked why assessors would purposely neglect property values when it would reduce taxes for them as well.

Resident John Tatko also was troubled by the audit. He said that anyone could make numbers say whatever they want when given specific information.

During the tax abatement hearings on Tuesday, Willimantic Selectman Jeff Morin said it was difficult to offer a rebuttal when residents do not provide the same information to them that they provide to the commissioners.

Making his point, Morin said resident David Thayer stated at a previous abatement hearing that his property was valued at $250 an acre while property owned by the tax collector’s father located across the road was valued at $25 per acre.

Morin said he checked the property tax cards after the hearing and found that the property owned by the tax collector’s father was assessed at $330 an acre in 2004, not $25 an acre.

But Thayer, who also attended Tuesday’s meeting, pointed out that the $25 per acre had been listed on the town’s property tax card, a copy of which was provided to commissioners.

After listening to the abatement hearings and the concerns, Rodgers said, “I’m not here to defend each individual assessment.” He did recommend that an outside assessing firm do a revaluation and that the town purchase an updated computer and software.

The revaluation is what some residents had requested all along, so that recommendation was greeted with applause.

“To avoid anarchy in the town, it should be done,” resident Ray Boudreau said.

Selectman Bruce Thomas and Morin agreed that a revaluation should be placed on the warrant for town meeting in August. Morin said he would inquire around for firms and costs in anticipation of the meeting.