Windsor select board approves assessor’s municipal tax assessment warrant

by The Town Line staff

At their August 16 meeting, at the suggestion of Windsor’s Assessor’s Agent, Vern Ziegler, the select board unanimously voted on the Assessor’s Certification of Assessment, 2022-2023 Municipal Tax Assessment Warrant, certificate of commitment and certificate of assessment to be returned to the municipal treasurer of the state of Maine.

There was also discussion on the draft utility scale solar energy facility ordinance which was continued to the next meeting to give the select board more time to read the draft.

The select board also voted unanimously to authorize Town Manager Theresa Haskell and board chairman Ray Bates to sign the general obligation bond for the town to finance the purchase of a new E-One/Freightliner Tanker Truck as approved at the annual town meeting. The amount is not to exceed $300,000 and would be payable on August 17 of each year of the next six years. The bond was awarded to Kennebec Savings Bank at an interest rate of 3.89 percent. The bond qualifies as being tax exempt.

In other business:

• The board gave approval for the town manageer to move $10,000 from the cemetery fund interest account to the cemetery fund interest account CD. This was done because the CD maturity date is September 5, 2022.
• The board also authorized Haskell to move $978.93 from the administration line to the planning/codes enforcement line that was overspent because of additional plumbing permits that were issued but not budgeted enough. This will not change the bottomline total expenditure spent which was approved at town meeting by the voters.
• Resident Moira Teekema distributed a photo of what the new food pantry sign, which she designed and donated, will look like.

Select board member Ronald Brann mentioned that the Lincoln County News had an article on a solar ordinance from the town of Whitefield posted if the select board wanted to read it and compare to the draft utility scale solar energy facility ordinance, in Windsor. There was some discussion of what happens when taxes are not paid. Who is responsible – landowner or solar company. Brann suggested the town obtain a copy of the lease agreement, and maybe ask the Kennebec Valley Council of Governments (KVCOG) about their thoughts on the subject.

The next meeting of the select board was scheduled for August 30.