GREENVILLE – Town officials told residents at the August town meeting that they would make every attempt to keep the tax rate low.

They carried out that promise this week.

Selectmen set the tax rate Wednesday at $10.60 per $1,000 property valuation, the same as it was last year. Even with this mill rate, selectmen were told the town would have a healthy overlay of $116,441.

Since little of last year’s overlay was used for tax abatements, those funds lapsed to surplus. It is expected that a significant portion of this year’s overlay also will go to surplus next year. In addition to funding abatements, the overlay is used to fund the discount on taxes provided for early payment.

Town Manager John Simko reminded selectmen Wednesday that the town’s surplus had been low and auditors had recommended it be replenished to bolster the town’s financial position.

Resident Eugene Murray said he figured the town should have about $100,000 left from last year’s overlay and if so, adding another $116,441 was a “little extreme.”

Simko said if there is a large surplus next year, some of the money can be used to help offset taxes.

In other action Wednesday, selectmen voted to postpone the sale of a cottage and land on Moosehead Lake indefinitely based on an legal advice. The nine bids for the property valued at $418,600 will be returned to the senders unopened.

The town had foreclosed on the property for nonpayment of taxes and had placed it up for bid. What was learned during the research, however, was that when the town first foreclosed on the property in 2004, it entered into a repurchase agreement with the owners, Simko said. Even though only one payment was made since then, it appears the town did not foreclose on the repurchase agreement.

Town Attorney Erik Stumpfel advised the town that it needs to foreclose on the repurchase agreement before the property can be sold. His recommendation to postpone the sale indefinitely pending further research and to return the bids unopened with a letter of explanation was embraced by selectmen.