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China Lake Water Stable, but Not Lakeshore Taxes

August 21, 2007 - China -- Money was a more interesting topic than water quality or loons at Thursday's annual meeting of the China Lake Association.

Town manager Daniel L'Heureux's explanation of the townwide reevaluation brought more audience questions and comments then Jim Hart's report on water quality or Robert O'Connor's report on the 2007 loon count.

L'Heureux said that, as of 2005, the most recent year for which state figures are available, waterfront properties in China were valued at an average of 53% of market value. Non-waterfront properties average 68% of market value.

The manager therefore predicted that, when the current revaluation is finished in spring 2008, the average valuation of a property on China Lake or Three Mile Pond will double.

However, he said, the accompanying tax bill will not double, for two reasons.

The main reason is that China will still raise about the same amount of money from taxation. In recent past years, he said, expenditures for municipal government and education have increased about 5% annually.

Raising only slightly more money from a much more valuable tax base means the tax rate will go down.

L'Heureux guessed the current rate of $16.50 for each $1000 of valuation would drop to around $10 per $1000 when the revaluation is complete.

The other offset for shorefront property owners is that, since non-waterfront holdings are also below market value, they, too, will have higher valuations on average, spreading the burden.

Lake Association director Marie Michaud raised to the inevitable question about longtime year-round lakeside residents on fixed incomes who would be forced to move because they cannot afford higher taxes.

L'Heureux replied that the 2007 Legislature considered the problem but did not act directly. Instead, legislators increased in the Homestead Exemption and the "circuit breaker," two popular tax relief measures.

In addition to L'Heureux's presentation, more than 60 year-round and summer residents heard from Hart, Kennebec Water District's treatment plant manager, that China Lake's water quality has been essentially stable for the last 17 years.

The quality is not good, and there are still annual algae blooms.

But, Hart said, without all the money and labor put into water quality programs, the situation would have been worse.

More money will be available: Hart announced that the State Department Environmental Protection has awarded a two-year, $102,580 grant to help control nonpoint-source runoff from large open areas, like logging projects, farmland and pastures, if landowners are interested.

O'Connor reported only 17 loons were counted on China Lake this year, down from 42 and 2006.

Declines have been reported from other lakes as well, he said.

The statewide tally is not complete, and no firm explanation for the decreased population has been offered.

The evening began with a presentation by Christine Smith from the State Department Environmental Protection on the state's LakeSmart program, aimed at controlling water pollution from shoreline development.

Details are available through www.MaineDEP.com or by calling the lakes education coordinator at 1-800-452-1942.

A shorefront cottage or house can earn a LakeSmart certificate if the septic system is functioning properly and runoff from driveways and parking areas, structures and open lawns is kept out of the lake.

Assistance with runoff controls is available from the Youth Conservation Corps of the China Region Lakes Alliance, a group of students who spend summers creating buffers and drainage systems to protect China Lake and Three Mile, Webber and Three Cornered ponds.

Codirector Peter Wilkins introduced this summer's young workers to applause, and reported briefly on their activities.

This article first appeared in the Kennebec Journal, August 11, 2007.

Lakes: China Lake, Three Corner Pond, Three Mile Pond, Webber Pond
Regions: Belgrade


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