SACO — Mayor Don Pilon is urging all senior citizens to give their input Monday night on a proposed tax deferment program.

A public hearing on the proposed program for seniors will be held at the city council meeting at Saco City Hall on Monday at 7 p.m.

In order to qualify for the program, one must be at least 70 years old, have lived in the city for at least 10 years and have an income that does not exceed 300 percent of the federal poverty level. The deferred property taxes would incur an interest rate of .5 percent above the otherwise applicable rate for delinquent taxes.

Taxes would be collected when the owner dies, or the house is sold or transferred to a new owner.

Pilon, when he served as a state representative, co-sponsored legislation a few years ago that allows municipalities to adopt such programs.

He introduced the legislation, he said, because many seniors who have lived for years in their home are now on fixed incomes and are struggling to pay their taxes.

The city has a program currently in place whereby seniors can work off $750 of their taxes through volunteer work, but not everyone can work or is a good candidate for the program, he said.

“It’s another tool in the tool box,” said Pilon of his proposal.

Pilon said seniors who are on fixed income and are struggling to pay their taxes should come to the meeting Monday night to voice their opinion.

One opponent of the proposal is City Councilor Nathan Johnston, who said in an interview last month the proposed program places a priority on senior taxpayers, and it’s unfair to the younger people who would be making up the lost tax revenue.

Johnston said the city has not taken away any homes from seniors due to non-payment of taxes, and the city currently has systems in place to help people who have difficulty paying property tax, regardless of age.

Pilon said if councilors don’t want to allow a 100 percent tax deferral, the city could implement a program that would allow for a partial tax deferral.

“Nothing’s cast in stone here,” said Pilon. “Everything’s a work in progress.”

Pilon said given the Yankee pride that many seniors have, he doesn’t envision an abundance of people signing up for the program.

The Town of Wells established a similar program in January 2012, and according to Wells treasurer Jodie Sanborn, only one person applied to the program, and was denied because Wells was not their primary residence, and therefore the person did not meet the requirements.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or [email protected].