Measuring Municipal Mill Rates 101 - Shining the Light on Maine's Tax Assessors

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The sensationalized headlines around heated municipal meetings targeting municipal tax assessment changes, and property reevaluation haven't offered much in the way of educating the public around the root causes of Mill Rate  and property tax bill increases.

So Potholes & Politics is taking a deeper dive. Trust us...this is 58 minutes you won't want to miss. (Hint: It ain't because of those "greedy" volunteer municipal select boards and councils.)

This episode is the first installment of many that could be renamed a new series called: "Why did my property taxes go up?" with Kerry Leichtman, Camden and Rockport's Tax Assessor.

"Mill" is derived from the Latin word "millesimum", meaning thousandth. As used in property tax, 1 mill is equal to $1 in property tax levied per $1,000 of a property's assessed value.

Kerry explains what is happening with municipal tax assessment, why reevaluations are necessary, and how your tax bill is tied to the massive influx of property hungry and cash flush buyers. 

Bonus: There is at least one really bad "Dad Joke" in this episode!