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Select Board asks legal counsel about assessor structure after historical review
Summary
Staff told the board it could not find a clear warrant article creating a separate board of assessors; members asked municipal legal counsel (MMA) for guidance and agreed to workshop options — keep current practice, formally establish a board of assessors, or adopt a single assessor with a board of assessment review.
Town staff presented research into the assessors’ history and said records show voters elected assessors separately beginning in 1967, but the town lacks a single clear warrant article explicitly establishing a board of assessors as currently practiced. Staff recommended the select board seek legal guidance from the Maine Municipal Association (MMA) to confirm whether the historical practice is sufficient or whether the town should put a warrant article before voters.
Why it matters: The assessor structure determines how assessments and abatement appeals are handled (currently abatement appeals sometimes require county‑level steps). The board agreed the issue is primarily a clarity and governance matter and not an emergency.
What was decided: The board asked staff to draft specific questions for MMA and to hold a workshop that includes the current assessors and the assessor’s agent so the select board can hear how the current system works and whether changes are advisable before proposing a warrant article.
Next steps: Staff will submit the questions to MMA/legal and schedule a workshop with the assessors and the select board to evaluate options before committing to any change on the warrant.
