Hollis Select Board Transparency Archive

Hello All, This is a very busy time of year. We have six revaluations and 40 tax commitments in process. Almost all the questions asked are specific to Hollis, so I can't delegate the responses. I will answer questions as much as time allows.

- Why can’t the assessing contractor raise values using State sales reports to keep Town in compliance until the revaluation can be completed? Most Hollis land and building values are currently calculated from paper manuals using pencil and calculator. Some other properties are valued in a variety of ways, such as personal property using Excel spreadsheets and Tree Growth using the NDS tax billing. The paper "system" does not lend itself to factoring.

We also do not believe in factoring unless the Town's Quality Rating under Maine Assessing Standards law is near 10, AND you know you have a reliable property inventory. 10 or under are excellent Quality Ratings. Over 20 are poor Quality Ratings. Over 20 does not comply with Maine Assessing Standards law. Hollis' current Quality Rating is 19. Factoring values in a system with a high Quality Rating will widen the inequities.

Who is the designated assessor in the Town office? Select Board member or Town Manager? Don’t we need one that works with the Assessing contractor?

The Hollis Board of Selectpersons are the sworn Assessors. The Board, in their capacity as tax assessors, is obligated to adhere to the Maine Constitution and Property Tax law and operate under the direction of the State Tax Assessor. Towns often utilize tax assessing agents, like O'Donnell & Associates to help ensure that assessing is performed professionally and objectively. The Board, as a whole, is responsible for signing the tax commitment, but there is nothing wrong with having an individual member of the Board of Assessors work on functions. In our company's experience though, some towns fall short of adequate clerical support staff and still have board members "rolling up their sleeves". As much as I admire these efforts and the history (most of my career), these days it is unrealistic to expect that Board members will be doing any tax assessing work. These towns inevitably end up without enough clerical support. Our company, with efficiencies built on a common system and administered with expertise, makes up some of the difference. The other choice is a full time Assessor. The key to avoid having to fund a full time assessor is adequate clerical help.

When was the money set aside by the voters for this? If it was why do we need to vote again?

I do not have direct knowledge in Hollis. Towns are seeking two different permissions. "Raise" means generate the funds through property tax dollars. "Appropriate" is the permission to spend the money. With many town meeting articles, towns ask to both raise and appropriate funds at the same time. In other instances, a town may vote to raise money at one time and seek permission to use (aka "appropriate") the funds at a later date. The typical example is having a capital improvement plan that raises money for " big ticket" expenditures over multiple years and later asking to appropriate the funds when it is time to pay for the large expense(s) of a given project.

If a town has already raised funds in the past, permission to spend (appropriate) does not affect the current (or future) net to be raised from property taxes.

How much was spent in the previous effort about 5-10 years ago?

I do not have direct knowledge. I heard it was around 100,000.

Can they also do the commercial revaluation section or will another contractor be needed to coordinate with them? Will TIF funds be used for the “Poland Spring” part?

O'Donnell & Associates is not contracting to do the work on the large commercial/industrial property. Another contract(s), with expertise in the specialized area(s) may be necessary. If the Assessors determine that the likelihood of tax appeals justify an upfront expense on experts. I fully expect, but Hollis should verify with DECD, that an appraisal of Poland Spring is an allowable use of TIF funds. My understanding is that Hollis has a TIF account with funds already raised. I do not know if the Town already has permission to appropriate funds from the account on an appraisal.

The hydros are not in the TIF so appraisal work could not come from the TIF.

Mike, My answers are above. I like the materials you created. FYI - Maine has only intervened to compel a town to revaluation twice in history. One was Long Island, I think. I don't remember what happened. Wiscasset challenged the State's order to revalue and prevailed. I think that was the end of the State Tax Assessor wielding that power. These days, the lower ratios mean lower reimbursement obligations for State. Homesteads at a lower ratio = less $ from the State. Tree Growth reimbursement loss for lack of compliance.

Feel free to use any information above that the majority of the Board wants to put out.

Thanks, John

________________________________ From: Mike Harnois <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, July 18, 2026 2:43 PM To: John O'Donnell <[email protected]> Cc: Jack Rogala (Select Board) <[email protected]>; Roger Hicks <[email protected]>; Daniel Yarumian <[email protected]>; Dbradbury <[email protected]> Subject: Questions from the public

Hi John, Feel free to pass me off to another for these questions, but a former Select Board member is asking these questions on FB (of course) and I want to answer him publicly so nobody is deterred from voting yes.

- Why can’t the assessing contractor raise values using State sales reports to keep Town in compliance until the revaluation can be completed?

-Who is the designated assessor in the Town office? Select Board member or Town Manager? Don’t we need one that works with the Assessing contractor?

- When was the money set aside by the voters for this? If it was why do we need to vote again? How much was set aside? How much was spent in the previous effort about 5-10 years ago? Is there enough to pay this vendor? Can they also do the commercial revaluation section or will another contractor be needed to coordinate with them? Will TIF funds be used for the “Poland Spring” part?

(The last question, I understand you won’t have answers for mostly and part of it you already did… but I can’t get a straight answer “locally”)

Thanks for any information you can provide..

Attached are the materials the SB created for social media and the website.

Thanks again, Mike Harnois

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