Old Town’s mill rate to decrease by 40 cents

OLD TOWN – Residents will see a decrease in the city’s tax rate when they get their tax bills in the mail this year, Old Town City Manager Peggy Daigle said at Monday night’s council meeting.

The mill rate is expected to decrease 40 cents per $1,000 of property valuation, from the current tax rate of $24.60.

An average home in the city has a value of $75,000, and the change would show a $140 decrease to that homeowner’s tax bill, Daigle said.

“We’ve done some good work here,” she said of the city’s efforts to reduce expenses.

In other meeting business, the council approved entering into a mutual aid agreement with Orono for fire and emergency services. The two municipalities already have an aid agreement, but the council approved an extension of that arrangement that includes an interlocal command agreement.

There have been several management changes to the two departments, and both are working with less manpower, Old Town Deputy Fire Chief Jim Lavoie said Monday.

If either Lavoie or Orono Deputy Fire Chief Buddy Webb is gone – for example, if they are on vacation – the other chief has the legal right to take command of an emergency situation in the other’s town if asked.

“It gives you another set of eyes,” Lavoie said. “It’s not like we’re just going to be taking over each other’s community.”

Councilor Alan Stormann said he was pleased to see the two communities working together and that he hopes to see more collaboration in the future.

“I’m kind of excited to see that we are working with our neighboring communities,” he said.

The city manager assured councilors that the agreement simply was an extension of the current mutual aid agreement and in no way is a move toward regionalization of services.

“It’s a matter of trying to help out management,” Daigle said. “It’s not [to be] perceived as anything other than what it is.”