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State sets Bucksport certified ratio at 99%; homestead exemption adjusted downward
Summary
The state certified Bucksport’s municipal assessment ratio at 99% rather than 100%, reducing exemption amounts such as the homestead exemption (from $25,000 to $24,750) and producing modest tax changes for affected exemption recipients.
The town manager told the Bucksport Town Council that the state certified the town's ratio at 99 percent for this year, not the 100 percent the council had anticipated. The reduction means certain exemption amounts are adjusted downward; the town manager used the homestead exemption as an example, which becomes $24,750 instead of $25,000.
Town staff said the change increases taxes slightly for exemption recipients — the manager estimated the homestead-change effect at roughly $4 for a typical exempt property holder and about $1 for those receiving the veterans exemption. Officials framed the change as a consequence of rising property values and said the council will review property-value-related issues during the next budget cycle.
Councilmembers did not take immediate action on the certified ratio at the meeting; staff noted the adjustment will be applied administratively to exemptions this year.
