ROCKLAND – Knox County Commissioners, at their regularly scheduled meeting on February, 14, set the county’s 2017 mil rate and interest rates for delinquent taxes. (Read the state’s valuation report here)

State valuations were completed Jan. 18 and finalized by Revenue Services; Knox County total assessment for 2017 was set at $7.4 billion ($7,433,688,000) up from $7,291,087,000 ($7.2 billion) for 2016.

Each January, Maine Revenue Services must certify to the Secretary of State the full equalized value of all real and personal property which is subject to taxation under the laws of Maine. The state valuation, which takes about 18 months to complete, begins with the compilation of a sales ratio study which measures the assessed value of residential and certain commercial properties relative to their actual selling price. (Read more here) 

The total state valuation was $165,485,750,000, up from 162,950,100,000.

Knox County Administrator Andrew Hart recommended a mil rate of 0.0010268730 for 2017, up over 2016's rate of 0.0009983619 for 2016. In addition the County Commissioners set an interest rate of 7 percent as the delinquent taxes for 2017.

At the meeting, the commissioners approved a Knox County Sheriff's Office purchase of two new vehicles, the first a truck to tow the department’s command trailer and the other, a new transport van.

The bid was awarded to Shepard Chrysler Dodge Jeep of Rockland for a 2017 1500 Crew Cab in the amount of $23,766, after a trade in. In addition the sheriff's office received funds to purchase a transport van in the amount of $31,867 for a 2017 Toyota Sienna all-wheel drive vehicle.

Shepard Toyota was awarded that bid.

Commissioners renewed their contract between Knox County and the towns of Cushing, Thomaston, St. George, South Thomaston, Warren and the Georges River Regional Shellfish Management Committee for shellfish warden services.

The contract expired on December 321, 2015.

The new contract expires on December 31, 2017. The agreement signed last October uses a Knox Deputy to fulfill the warden services.

Chief Deputy Tim Carroll said previously: "Due to budgetary reasons is why it's set to December 31," he said. "Now that this one is in place we'll start pretty quick to discuss what we can do to provide it for a full year or continuing years."

The Knox County Commissioners meetings are streamed live at knoxcountymaine.gov/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={E8EE4B48-9430-4819-8BCE-ECD73A78B085}