Orono’s village tax will remain dormant for another year.

Up until  2016, a tax of 50 cents per thousand dollars of valuation had been assessed on properties in the downtown village district; it was used to help the Orono Village Association with downtown activities. The tax, however, became a point of contention for those on whom it was assessed. Business owners in the district didn’t like being subject to the special assessment; business owners outside the district complained that the town wasn’t doing anything for them.

Additionally OVA was struggling, with few active member and but a handful of people at its meetings. That led to a decision for OVA to become an inactive organization, and led to there being no village tax the last two fiscal years;  the town council opted recently to not impose the tax again for fiscal year 2020 either.

The district, however, remains on the books; should something change, the council could choose in the future to bring the tax back.