The Wiscasset selectmen held abatement hearings Saturday, April 12 for 79 applications. During a 10-hour session the selectmen heard 50 cases. According to Selectman Nicole Viele, the board is hoping to have their decisions made on the abatements before April 25.

It would appear that the recent revaluation done by Tyler Associates/TLC, the company hired by the town two years ago to do a complete revaluation, has given landowners concern about the increases in their land valuations. Among the 81 abatement requests, only four related to buildings, nine were commercial, and the remainder is land values, mostly waterfront.

The group of residents who live on Young's Point joined together in making their presentation to the selectmen, and selected one person to speak on their behalf. Gregory Shea spoke for 11 property owners, asking for over $1 million in abatements.

According to Shea, Young's Point property owners were targeted by Tyler for special treatment by assigning 34 properties on Young's Point as "a unique `neighborhood' designation." Shea told the selectmen that Tyler used 2003 sales data to determine valuations. The Young's Point group did not ask for individual consideration, but instead proposed a change in the methodology applied to reassessing Young's Point.

Their proposal includes: "adjust all tidal marsh to $105,000 in valuation for the first acre; adjust all tidal water/mudflats to $175,000 in valuation for the first acre; adjust all back acreage to $13,000 in valuation to be consistent with Cushman Point; adjust all water influence to $10,500 in valuation for tidal marsh and $17,500 to the eliminating of all water influence on land without water."

According to Sharon Nichols a Young's Point resident told the selectmen that in determining land values, Tyler did not use lower priced land sales on Young's Point. Tyler's statement that they use "all sales data" is incorrect, she said.

"Tyler used selective sales to support higher valuations, thus inflating land values."

"No house lots on Young's Point have sold for more than $145,000," Nichols said. The land valuations, according to Tyler's revaluation, range from $394,000 to $221,000.

Former Selectman Larry Gordon told the selectmen he is not concerned with the assessment of the two houses he owns, but considers the land values out of line with today's market. He requested an abatement of about $300,000 on his two pieces of property, one piece of land being assessed for $286,000 and the other $314,000.

Gordon, who has been in real estate for over 35 years, said Monday in a telephone interview, that in his opinion about 85 percent of the houses in Wiscasset are assessed correctly, but the land values are significantly over assessed.

Daniel Bigley told the selectmen his taxes went from $4,000 to $7,341. "I was ready to enjoy my golden years in Wiscasset," Bigley said, "I'm sure there are other people in the same boat. I just can't afford to pay over $600 per month in property taxes."

He questioned whether there may be a mistake in assessing him for waterfront, saying he has mudflats in front of his house.

"Being a Maine native, I kinda like the smell of those flats; they smell like money to me, not sewer," (referring to comments of another resident who said his waterfront property was mudflats that smelled like sewer).

Bigley requested an assessment of about $125,000

George Green, who owns the North of the Border business on Route 1, made a plea to the selectmen to abate the buildings on his property that are being assessed for $133,000, compared to the last assessment of $60,000. His land assessment went from $103,000 to $320,000.

"Those buildings are sheds," he said. "They [the buildings] are unheated, no plumbing, and they are on posts. I could replace those buildings for $50,000," he said.

Alice Ellsworth of Young's Point said, "It boggles my mind how they [Tyler] arrived at the valuation of my property."

She told the board the house is 31 years old, and everything in the house is 31 years old. She had a purchase agreement for $395,000, but the deal fell through.

"It makes no sense to be appraised at $558,000," she said.

Selectmen Phil DiVece said, "It boggles your mind, it boggles my mind as well."

Tyler representative Kevin Rake sat in on the abatement hearings, answering questions when he was asked.

The abatement requests from residents who had no representatives at the hearing on Saturday will be handled based on the information submitted on the applications, according to Viele.

The selectmen are required by Maine law to notify the taxpayers within ten days after making their decision. The property owners have the right to appeal the decisions of the selectmen to the county commissioners.