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Commissioner of Finance authorized to waive $6,000 480(a) forestry penalty for park parcel sale; one abstention
Summary
The committee authorized waiving a $6,000 480(a) forestry exemption penalty tied to a 15‑acre sale adjacent to Mossy Bank Park in the Village of Bath; motion passed 4-0-1 with William Thew abstaining.
The Finance Committee approved a request to waive a $6,000 penalty that would result from a property owner selling 15 acres adjacent to Mossy Bank Park and thereby falling below the 50‑acre threshold for the 480(a) forestry exemption.
Mitch Alger described the proposed transaction: the parcel owner intends to sell 15 acres to the Village of Bath, which applied for a grant to expand the park. Alger said the sale would cause the owner to lose the 480(a) forestry exemption because the exemption requires a minimum of 50 acres; the penalty was stated in the motion as $6,000. The motion authorized the Commissioner of Finance to waive the 480(a) forestry penalty for parcel #174.00‑01‑002.000. The vote carried 4‑0‑1 with William Thew recorded as abstaining.
The waiver was justified at the meeting on the basis that the land sale is for a public purpose and the Village of Bath’s planned park expansion is tax‑exempt; the motion text references those facts. The committee did not provide further details on the grant the Village applied for.
