ROCKLAND, Maine — The Rockland Board of Assessment Review rejected last week Wal-Mart’s appeal of the tax assessment on the building it sold last year, concluding that the company had failed to provide the assessor with information needed for him to make a decision.
An attorney for Wal-Mart said the firm will review its options once the written decision is provided.
The board voted 5-0 at its Oct. 15 meeting to reject the appeal. Rockland Assessor Dennis Reed said he had urged the board to reject the appeal because the company did not provide the financial information he had requested to make a decision on the appeal. He added that the time for an appeal has now passed.
The company first filed a request with the city assessor in February, arguing that 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. If granted, the abatement would have given the international retailer a tax rebate of about $105,000.
The company based its request on its sale of the property to Ocean State Job Lot in December for $3.1 million. Wal-Mart sold the property after it relocated in October 2013 to a larger Walmart Supercenter it built about three miles south on Route 1 in neighboring Thomaston.
Attorney Timothy Woodcock of Bangor, who represents the company, said that Wal-Mart had provided financial documents to the assessor and that other documents the assessor requested fell outside of what is required under state law.
He said that once he receives the written decision of the board he will consult with his client. The company will have 60 days from receipt of the written decision to file an appeal either with the Maine Superior Court or with the Maine Board of Property Tax Review.
The Rockland property consists of a 94,000-square-foot building on 10.5 acres. The store was built in 1991 and underwent major renovations about five years ago.