Regarding the recycling ordinance, which is anticipated to start July 1, Greenville Town Manager John Simko said he recognized that the town would not be able to enforce it “to the exact letter of the ordinance.” He said he hoped people would comply because it will expand the life of the landfill. It also could produce revenue for the town from the sale of recyclables.

Another revenue producer for the town will be the sale of a town-owned lot on the corner of Pritham Avenue and Oliver Road. Residents authorized the selectmen to sell the lot by a competitive bid process and place the proceeds into the municipal building reserve fund. The town has about $500,000 in that reserve account.

Simko predicted Monday that instead of an anticipated hike in the mill rate, the property tax rate for 2002-2003 would remain fairly constant or would drop slightly. That is because of the slim budgets and the initial findings of a mini revaluation currently under way. Town officials had thought that the revaluation would result in a $6 million increase in total assessed value; rather, it has identified about a $20 million increase in total assessed value.

Simko told residents that the mill rate could drop from $20.20 to $18.36 per $1,000 valuation, however, the actual rate will not be decided until September 2002. He also stressed that even with a drop in the mill rate, some residents may see an increase in their property taxes because of the revaluation.

Town officials anticipate that some residential, nonshorefront properties and many residential shorefront properties will increase in value because of the revaluation. In some cases, shorefront properties have sold for 200 percent to 300 percent more than their assessed value, according to Simko.

William Folsom, outgoing superintendent, and Sharon Libby-Jones, an outgoing selectman, were recognized for their efforts.
"This content originally appeared as a copyrighted article in the Wednesday, June 05, 2002 edition of the Bangor Daily NEWS and is used here with permission."