ROCKLAND, Maine — The State Board of Property Tax Review will hear Wal-Mart’s request for a $105,000 tax rebate from Rockland later this spring.
The board notified the city this week that the hearing will be held at 9 a.m. May 14 and 15 at the Burton Cross Office Building in Augusta.
The issue before the state board will be whether Wal-Mart complied with the request by Rockland Assessor Dennis Reed for additional documentation. Reed rejected the international retailer’s abatement request, saying it failed to provide him necessary supporting documents by the required deadline.
Wal-Mart is arguing it provided all the required paperwork.
Reed said he expected the board would issue a ruling in the case soon after the hearing.
Wal-Mart filed the appeal Dec. 23. The company claims the city’s assessment on its former property on Route 1 was too high.
The company first filed a request with the city assessor in February 2014, arguing the valuation of $8,516,400 in 2013 was far in excess of the true value of the property. Wal-Mart said the valuation should have been $3,125,000.
The company based its request on its sale of the property to Ocean State Job Lot in December 2013 for $3.1 million. Wal-Mart sold the property after it relocated in October 2013 to a larger supercenter it built about 3 miles south on Route 1 in neighboring Thomaston.
The Rockland Board of Appeals upheld the assessor’s decision in a unanimous vote on Oct. 15.
The Wal-Mart abatement request is one of three pending commercial abatements in Rockland. Ocean State Job Lot is seeking a $55,000 rebate, using the same argument as Wal-Mart on the property it purchased. The Trade Winds Motor Inn is seeking a $54,000 abatement, saying its property is overvalued.