POLAND — The effort to raise money to buy land that is key to the development of a public hiking-trail system took a step forward Tuesday when selectmen approved mailing a Conservation Commission flier seeking donations.

Acquisition of the 32-acre Furman property, Conservation Commission Co-chairman Don Stover told the board, will provide the missing link in a trail system that will stretch from behind Ricker Library to the town’s transfer station on Tripp Lake Road. Crossing the road, it can connect to the high school property, extending all the way to Route 11.

“The owner of the property, Jennifer Furman, has agreed to sell it to us for half of its assessed value,” Stover said.

But to complete the deal, Stover told the board, the Conservation Commission will have to raise $32,800 by the end of October.

Stover estimated the commission has raised nearly $10,000 to date, and is broadening its appeal to residents.

Selectmen approved the flier’s content and agreed to front the cost of postage for a mailing that will go all Poland property owners. The cost is estimated at about $735.

In other business, selectmen met with John Cleveland of Community Dynamics of Auburn to review the final draft of spreadsheets that detail the financial history of the town’s two tax-increment financing agreements with Poland Spring Water Co. from 2009 to 2014.

Ron Smith, the town’s assessor, had reviewed the spreadsheets Cleveland prepared in May and was in complete agreement with the report.

“It should provide (the town) a good blueprint as you go forward,” he said.

Selectmen had commissioned the report, which separates the financial records of the two TIF accounts, at the request of state officials as a prerequisite for amending one of the TIF agreements.

Until now, the records for the two TIF accounts were commingled.

Cleveland’s report showed both accounts have a positive balance. TIF 2 has a balance of more than $500,000.

Now the town can move forward with its request for an amendment. The next step will be a workshop Sept. 30 to develop a projection for fiscally sound development within the TIF area.

Selectmen also met with Code Enforcement Officer Nick Adams and resident Jeffrey Coolidge to attempt to resolve a long-standing land-use dispute.

Coolidge has been cited for adding a new structure to his storage building business and has refused to go before the Planning Board for necessary permits.

Adams is ready to take the matter to court, but selectmen asked him to prepare a letter for Coolidge detailing one more time exactly what Coolidge must bring to the Planning Board and, should he fail to do so, give Coolidge an estimate of how much his fines and other assessments will amount to.

Selectmen also awarded the bid for painting centerlines on town roads to Poirier Guidelines for $6,898. They awarded a contract to All States Asphalt for $272,049 to pave Jackson, Summit Springs, Plains and North Raymond roads.