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Randolph selectmen note Forest Commission will pay timber tax as PILT beginning 2025; minutes unclear
Summary
Selectman Michele Cormier told the board the Randolph Forest Commission decided to pay a timber tax as a PILT payment starting in 2025 in addition to Current Use PILT; she said the September 2024 meetings recorded the decision but the minutes do not clearly document the change.
Selectman Michele Cormier reported at the Dec. 8 meeting that the Randolph Forest Commission will begin paying a timber tax as a payment in lieu of taxes (PILT) starting in 2025, in addition to the Current Use PILT payment.
Cormier said the decision was made in September 2024 both at the selectmen’s meeting and at the Forest Commission’s September meeting, but she added that the action was not clearly defined in either set of minutes and that neither she nor Assistant Linda Dupont attended those September meetings. The minutes do not show a formal motion recorded at the Dec. 8 meeting to change tax treatment; the discussion served to note the Forest Commission’s position and the ambiguity in the historical record.
Why it matters: changes in PILT and timber-tax treatment affect local tax accounting and how forest land revenues are allocated. The selectmen flagged the inconsistency in the minutes for possible correction or clarification so the town’s record accurately reflects the Forest Commission’s decisions.
What’s next: the board did not take formal action at the Dec. 8 meeting to alter minutes or direct staff; the item may require follow-up to reconcile meeting records and confirm the Forest Commission’s intended payment method.
