At the November 13 Town of Boothbay Board of Selectmen meeting, the selectmen discussed the failed articles presented at the special town meeting on November 5. The general consensus was that the town was missing an opportunity to protect some tax fund,s but the public was very concerned about other aspects of the proposed plan. The selectmen would like to revisit the fundamental question of protecting against an unnecessary tax shift but are afraid that the voters will view this effort as deceptive.

The vote on the TIF question was close enough to revisit. Forty-five percent of voters approved the TIF fund. If a portion of the dissenters approve a less complicated plan, the opportunity to protect the town from that tax shift may still be possible.

The selectmen and the town manager can quickly and inexpensively modify the TIF plan. We would remove major projects, mandatory expenses, eliminate the bond, and focus the TIF zone based on public hearings. An expedited TIF plan would need voter approval before March 2014.

The selectmen would like your participation in making the critical decision of reintroducing the TIF. They have created a simple and concise survey. The survey will be distributed through email chains, Facebook, the town website, the Boothbay Register, and the “old fashioned” paper survey, at the town office.

Please help us collect credible survey responses by honestly answering the questions, forwarding to your friends, and participating. If the selectmen find this method useful they may use it on other issues.

You can answer the survey at: www.surveymonkey.com/s/BoothbayTownMeeting/.