Oxford City Selectman Sharon Jackson (left) stands and speaks to seasonal resident Terry Briggs about the town’s 10-year capital investment plan as Selectman Caldwell Jackson listens. Briggs was one of about 30 people who attended Thursday’s special board meeting to voice their dissatisfaction with this year’s 37% increase in property taxes. Nicole Carter / Advertiser Democratic Party
OXFORD — The latest property tax bills were delivered to Oxford residents, and about 30 people stopped by a town hall meeting room Thursday to express how they felt about the 37 percent tax increase.
Reactions from the several residents who spoke ranged from suggestions to criticism of the selection committee.
The first speaker was Joyce Reiner, currently a seasonal resident of Oxford. She said homeowners in town might find it easier to pay their bills if they were due quarterly instead of twice a year.
Another retired full-time resident echoed Reiner’s sentiments.
“I receive Social Security and a fixed income,” she said. “I thought I was going to need two-thirds of this month’s check. It cost me everything, so I had to borrow money.”
She added that with one-third of taxes going to schools, seniors should pay a small share of the tax revenue that goes toward funding education.
Terry Briggs, current owner and seasonal resident of the property his grandfather purchased in the 1940s, also addressed town leaders. “They’re supposed to be trying to keep records (in Maine) when it comes to property taxes. I’m appalled because I’ve never seen it as it is. I’m actually wondering how you guys can sit there and tell us I’m having a hard time finding adjectives to describe how we can impose a 37% tax increase.”
Selectman Chairman Floyd Thayer took exception to the fact that the five elected members are elected to be the sole heads of the Oxford budget, which is created by a committee and the selectmen’s role is to vote on the budget each year. He reminded Briggs that his job was to make recommendations to the public about spending. Town meeting.
About 80 residents attended Oxford’s most recent annual town meeting in June, which was on par with other meetings over the past few years.
Briggs added that his experience in other towns is that education costs account for about 60% of total taxes, but in Oxford, town spending accounts for 60% of property owners’ tax burden. He also noted that Oxford benefits from the Oxford Casino and Oxford Plains Speedway, assets that other towns can do without.
Lois Pike, a senior resident of the community, offered a different perspective.
“Many of us went through that program last year and our tax bills didn’t change,” she said, referring to the Property Tax Stabilization Program, which aims to protect Maine’s seniors. . “For my age group, this was the first time we were seeing reassessment, which is a big part of the problem.
“Be grateful you haven’t had to pay for so many years,” she said, acknowledging that Oxford hadn’t had a townwide property revaluation for years prior to last year’s revaluation.
Councilor Sharon Jackson detailed to attendees how recent city spending has been influenced by Oxford’s capital investment plans over the past several years. Selectman Caldwell Jackson also explained how businesses like the Oxford Casino place additional demands on town services that other communities don’t have.
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