Blue Hill Select Board approves library tax exemption, cemetery fence replacement and retroactive wage increases

The Blue Hill Select Board on April 6 voted unanimously to grant a charitable tax exemption for one parcel owned and used by the Blue Hill Public Library, authorize replacement of the Mountainview Cemetery fence and approve retroactive wage adjustments for town employees.

The vote to authorize a charitable exemption covered the property at 13 Parker Point Road (parcel 012-030), following an opinion from M. Caldwell, the assessor’s agent, that the board could consider exempting one of two library lots for the 2026 tax year. The board voted 5–0 to authorize the exemption and asked the assessor whether part of a lot’s assessed value can be treated as exempt while the remainder remains taxable; the second lot’s exemption status will be revisited in early 2027.

The board also voted 5–0 to authorize the Public Works crew to replace the fence at Mountainview Cemetery. Select Board members agreed the $3,500 cost should be covered from the Select Board’s fund for unanticipated expenditures.

After entering executive session for personnel matters, the board voted 5–0 to extend an offer of part-time employment to Amanda Laursen to clean the Town Office at $25.00 per hour for 5–10 hours per week, subject to standard hiring conditions. The board also voted 5–0 to implement wage adjustments for town employees as reviewed in executive session; the adjustments are retroactive to Jan. 1, 2026.

Several routine actions were handled at the meeting, including approval of the March 30 minutes and the appointment of E. Best as chair of the Select Board; both votes were recorded as 5–0. The meeting adjourned at 7:35 p.m. after signing disbursement warrants.

The board’s formal actions on exemptions, cemetery maintenance and personnel took effect as recorded in the minutes; where motions were described as "duly made and seconded," the transcript does not name the mover or seconder.