Alna selectmen said June 1 that, come March 2017, they may ask annual town meeting voters for a town-wide property revaluation. No decisions have been made to seek one, First Selectman David Abbott said. But it will be explored, board members said.

Third Selectman Doug Baston raised the idea. It appeared to him anecdotally that a number of homes in town should be valued higher, Baston said. “It’s getting out of hand,” and it’s been bothering him now that homes are selling again and he is seeing inequity, he said.

Second Selectman Melissa Spinney said she shared that opinion. The board could could compile examples to show voters, Baston said.

The prospect of a revaluation has drawn mixed public comments in recent years. However, voters have continued to support putting money aside for one. This year’s town meeting added another $5,000 to bring the total on reserve to $49,067, according to town documents. That might fall short of the tab, selectmen said June 1. So if they propose tapping the reserve to carry out a revaluation as early as next year, it may also mean asking voters for more money to cover the cost, they said.

A revaluation typically raises the assessed value of about one-third of the properties, lowers it for about one-third and keeps about a third the same, Baston said.

Dumpster developments

The dumpster selectmen wanted removed from an unoccupied Golden Ridge Road property was still there, selectmen said. Other parts of the cleanup have progressed: the garage door is down and the dumpster is full of items that had been scattered, but the dumpster was supposed to go, and hasn’t, they said.

In March, selectmen agreed to send the owner a letter calling for the cleanup, including the dumpster’s removal.

According to a series of emails board members have since exchanged with the Atlanta-based Altisource, Altisource received the letter, had work done, and asked if any issues remained. Then in a May 24 email, Spinney describes the dumpster as overflowing and re-asks for its removal. A subsequent email from Baston tells Altisource he observed the same conditions Spinney did a week earlier.

A June 1 email from Altisource states that a new work order would be issued.

CLC starts Alna service

Abbott reported that he contacted Lincoln County Sheriff Todd Brackett and confirmed for Brackett that Alna’s changeover from Wiscasset Ambulance Service to Central Lincoln County (CLC) Ambulance took effect May 25. Voters approved the switch in March.

Also June 1, the board agreed to cut the pay per hour for casual labor such as roadside brush-cutting from $18 to $13.50. Baston had gathered Maine Municipal Association figures for towns Alna’s size; they were paying just over $13.00 an hour, he said.

The board held an executive, or closed-door, session that Fire Chief Mike Trask requested to discuss a personnel matter.