MECHANIC FALLS – The Town Council was informed Monday night that the town’s cost to test five private wells near a closed landfill was nearly $2,000.

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection required the town to test the wells in 2000 and again this year. The wells are located on Walker Road near the site of a landfill that was closed several years ago.

Town Manager Dana Lee said all five wells tested negative for any contaminants that could have come from the landfill both in 2000 and again this year. He expressed concern that the DEP could require the town to conduct the testing yearly. Lee said he will propose to the DEP that the testing be done once every few years rather than annually because the test results have indicated that there are no contaminants in the well water other than low levels of naturally occurring arsenic.

In other business, Lee updated the council on the likely need for a revaluation of real estate in the next two years due to a wider gap between assessed values and sale prices.

Recent sales of houses in Mechanic Falls have been higher than the assessed values. Each year Maine Revenue Services conducts a sales revenue analysis for every town. A representative from the state agency looks at 10 to 12 recent real estate sales, the assessed values of the properties and the actual sale prices. Ideally, towns should maintain a sales ratio of 100 percent. That is the difference between the assessed value and actual sales price. The average in Mechanic Falls dropped for the third consecutive year.

“It’s dropping again. It’s down to 84 percent,” Lee told the council.

When a revaluation is conducted, some homeowners will see their tax bills go up while others will see them go down; others will see no change.

Under Maine’s Homestead Exemption Act, the first $7,000 of the value of a taxpayer’s principal residence, if that residence is assessed at below $125,000, is exempted as long as the town’s sales ratio is at 100 percent. The state would pay the exempted portion of the taxes to the town. Properties assessed at higher values get a smaller rebate under the Homestead Exemption Act.

When the ratio is lower, the taxpayer would pay taxes on a larger percentage of the assessed value. Mechanic Falls property owners currently receive a credit of $6,650, $350 below the maximum allowed by the state.

The council also appointed Thomas Kuklinski to the Planning Board. He replaces James Roddy, who recently resigned after moving to Auburn.

In a related matter, council members discussed Planning Board member Mike Kyllonen, who has missed several meetings. The council sent a letter to Kyllonen in March informing him that he must attend meetings or vacate his position. At that time, Lee said Kyllonen attended one of the previous six meetings since July 2002 and four of the 10 meetings between July 2001 and June 2002. The council will revisit the matter in June.