LISBON – Selectmen on Tuesday night approved a list of revenues and expenditures for the 2004-05 tax year, paving the way for assessor Gerald Samson to set the tax rate at $25.25, the same as last year.

“At town meeting we were projecting a 50 cent increase, but property value increases, school budget cuts at town meeting, and additional town revenue have erased that,” Town Manager Curtis Lunt said.

The gross municipal appropriation at town meeting was $5,809,047, the county tax assessment was $472,948, schools got $3,302,568, the local debt share for the schools was $193,088, the property tax-only article cost $2,084,053, and adult education received $72,755, for a total of $11,934,459.

Anticipated revenues are $2,250,710 and state revenue sharing is $1,023,403, which leaves $8,660,345.69 to be raised in taxes. That figure is $173,468 more than last year.

Tax bills are expected to go out in mid-August, and the first half of the bills are due Sept. 15.

In other business, a routine year-end settlement of taxes presented by Tax Collector Betty Sigurdsson was approved, as was a list of year-end carry-forwards and transfers in various accounts.

Deleted were two requests for carry-forwards in the Public Works budget, involving unused money in the street-sweeping and gravel accounts. The decision came after Chairman Michael Bowie objected, saying that the town has been routinely using money from the undesignated fund account to keep the tax rate down. Because of this, he maintained that unused money should go back into the town’s general fund to replenish the undesignated fund.

The board decided to look into the procedure for accepting a gift of 48-acre spent gravel pit from Dragon Products. It is believed the entire parcel is over an aquifer.

With that in mind, selectmen said they wanted to identify any risks or liabilities the town might face by accepting the land. The board decided to explore the issue and discuss it with the Water Department because there are town wells in the area.

Lunt reported that the town, which participates in Maine Municipal Association’s workers compensation risk pool, has received a rebate of $5,505, which will go into the general fund.

Former Advisory Board member Herbert “Pete” Reed, who now serves on the School Committee, was selected as Lisbon’s nominee to the County Budget Committee for another three-year term, to represent the First District. Bowie agreed to attend the Aug. 18 County Commission meeting to make the nomination. Named to Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments’ General Assembly for two years were development director Dan Feeney and Selectman L. Scott D’Amboise.