Robert Stanley urges correction of town records; Select Board revises acreage and waives late penalties

Resident Robert Stanley told the West Bath Select Board the town’s records list two different acreages for his family’s property — 9.82 acres on a 2023 bill and 2.61 acres on a 2024 bill — and traced the discrepancy to competing surveys and deed filings.

Stanley said the errors have damaged his family’s title and finances. “I’m 74 years old… I’ve fought to keep what’s left in my grandmother’s property since the 1800s,” he said, describing long-running disputes over surveys and life-estate entries that he said left parcels unaccounted for and in some cases recorded to other parties.

Board members discussed the survey history, two different maps dated in earlier years and the town’s options to fix the record. The board’s staff said they could correct the recorded acreage before the next tax commitment and that supplemental bills or abatements were possible if necessary.

Chair Hines moved to revise the recorded acreage for Map R02018-B07 to reflect 6.38 acres for the next tax commitment; a board member seconded the motion and the board approved it unanimously. Later the board voted unanimously to waive penalties and interest on the outstanding 2024 and 2025 tax bills for that parcel while leaving the billed amounts as originally shown.

Board members said the town will correct public records going forward and staff will follow up on the administrative steps needed for commitments and any supplemental billing. Residents at the meeting urged the town to review historical records and to coordinate with the town attorney to ensure deeds and surveys are reconciled.

The board’s actions resolve the immediate acreage error for the next commitment and suspend penalties on the two most recent bills; staff will return with any follow-up documents or legal confirmations at a later meeting.