CHELSEA -- Voters cut $44,000 from the municipal budget at their annual town meeting Thursday.

Dick Condon, resident, amended an article that asked residents to raise and appropriate $65,400 for the assessor's office for a townwide property revaluation.

"I'd like to amend this to be reduced by $44,000," Condon said.

The majority of residents who attended the meeting at Chelsea Elementary School went along with Condon and voted to allocate only $21,400 to the assessor's office.

Resident Betty Larrabee argued that the town needed a property revaluation.

"One has not been done since I've been here," Larrabee said. "We need this done and now is the time to do it."

Selectwoman Carole Swan told voters that the town is valued at $135 million and the state would like it to be $153 million.

"We're at 92 percent of what the state wants," Swan said. "We're not up where they say we should be."

Bill Lathrop, also a resident, said he thought a revaluation would involve analyzing housing prices from three to five years ago.

"You all know how the housing (market) is," Lathrop said. "I think the thing to do is hold off. I've never been in favor of bringing in people from the big city to do a valuation of the country."

Residents amended an article that asked permission for selectmen to transfer up to 10 percent of the municipal budget to "any line item account to another."

"I want the article to stay the same as last year, which was 3 percent . . ." said Marshall Swan. "It's too much money."

And they changed the interest rate charged to residents for unpaid taxes. Selectmen asked for 12 percent; voters reduced it to 10 percent.

"I think it's too much money for people to pay," Swan said.

Residents voted to establish a tax club -- a monthly installment plan for taxpayers to budget their property tax payments and avoid incurring interest charges.

They also entered into a lengthy discussion on an article -- which ultimately passed -- that asked residents to authorize the Selectboard to dispose of any real estate acquired by the town for nonpayment of taxes they deem advisable.

One resident wanted selectmen to sell property under two acres but keep any land over two acres to see if property prices go up.

"The whole purpose is to get them back on the tax roll," Selectwoman Carol Swan said.

Marshall Swan, her husband, wanted selectmen to continue to put the property out to bid as they have in the past.

Town Manager Carrie Khalvati said the key word is "retain such property for the town use if the Selectboard decides this is more advantageous to the town."

"If the town has a parcel of undeveloped land that came into the town's possession because of a foreclosure, that property would be a great asset to the town," Khalvati said.

If the selectmen are limited to the bidding process, she said they lose the option of keeping the property to benefit the town.

Voters also gave selectmen permission to create a Road Committee that will operate in an advisory capacity.

Mechele Cooper -- 623-3811, ext. 408

mcooper@centralmaine.com