MILO – The search was re-opened on Thursday for a new police chief.

That decision was made during a special meeting of selectmen and the police search committee.

Four candidates, all from the Penquis region, were interviewed for the position, but municipal officials and the search committee agreed to look wider for more candidates.

“The Board of Selectmen and the police search committee have set themselves a very aggressive schedule” regarding the position, Town Manager Jane Jones said Friday. She said applications for the position will be accepted until 5 p.m. Friday, April 21. The plan is to have a new police chief on staff by June 1, she said.

The new police chief will have a new cruiser. Selectmen voted to purchase a 2006 Ford Explorer from a Texas-based firm at a cost of $27,575. The vehicle will come equipped with light bars and caging and will be delivered to the door of the police department within two weeks, according to Jones. The vehicle is being financed through Maine Savings Credit Union in Milo.

In other business, town officials are closely monitoring LD 2056 because it has the potential, if passed, to shift a 2 mill tax increase to property owners, Jones said.

LD 2056, an act to replace municipal revenues subject to business equipment property tax exemption, is a bill designed to eliminate the property taxes assessed on new business equipment. The bill would provide a property tax exemption for business equipment purchased on or after April 1, 2008, that formerly would have been covered under the Business Equipment Tax Reimbursement program.

“It masquerades as tax relief, but at the end of the day, homeowners and businesses are being hit by higher and higher real estate taxes,” Jones said.

Also on Thursday, selectmen discussed projects that should be done this year. Some preliminary suggestions aired included the industrial park, sewer extension, Elm Street improvements, improved communication between town officials and residents, and completion of the comprehensive plan. Selectmen are expected to prioritize the list at their April 27 meeting.

“Local governments are being squeezed, so it is prudent for us to sit down after town meeting and analyze where we are and what resources we’ll have for the coming year and decide which projects to target,” Jones said.

Selectmen will meet next on April 13 in the town office.