The city of Waterville recently discovered a tax lien on 71 Grove St., above, dating to 1963. The City Council will discuss Tuesday what to do about the leftover lien, which was found when the house went up for sale after the homeowner, Edward E. Spaulding Sr., died. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

WATERVILLE — Sometimes surprises pop up in the most unusual places.

Such was the case with the recent discovery of a lien placed 62 years ago on a Grove Street property in the city’s South End.

The City Council on Tuesday will hear the story about the lien and then decide whether to release the city’s interest in the property and authorize a quitclaim deed.

Edward E. Spaulding Sr. and his wife Louella had owned and lived in the house at 71 Grove St. for many years, and brought their children up there. Louella died in 1999; Edward died in the last 18 months, according to George Jabar, the lawyer who is representing the Spaulding estate.

The six-room, 1,572-square-foot house, built in 1938, was put up for sale recently. When a buyer came along a title search was done, revealing the city of Waterville had placed a lien of $139.62 on it in 1963.

So Jabar, of the Waterville firm Jabar, LaLiberty LLC, and City Solicitor William A. Lee III looked into the matter. They could find no records of the city discharging the lien.

They determined no one had discovered it for many years, likely because the Spauldings faithfully paid their taxes for decades after 1963.

“I will say, Bill Lee and the town were very cooperative in trying to get to the bottom of it and clear that up,” Jabar said. “I think this is what happened: (The Spauldings) probably paid the tax lien off and probably the city did discharge it and it was lost in the mail.”

Both Lee and Jabar said they have dealt with similar cases where a lien was found many years later. But not like this.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen one quite this old,” Jabar said.

Lee said he thinks the city didn’t get around to discharging the lien, even after the taxes were paid. More recent records of discharges would be more accessible, he said.

“If this was 10 years old, I’d say, ‘Find your bank records proving to me you paid it,'” Lee said. “I don’t think I’ve seen one 60 years old.”

The order the council will consider approving Tuesday says that if all taxes on the property are paid through June 30 this year, the council will authorize the quitclaim deed. The council on Tuesday may take only one of two votes needed to approve it. A second vote would likely be held in two weeks.

Lee said the city did not require the $139.62 from the 1963 tax lien to be included in the payment of taxes and fees for the property.

Jabar said the estate last week paid the total, about $800, to the city.

According to Jabar, Edward Spaulding was a friendly man who was a sort of jack-of-all trades and generously helped neighbors and others with anything they needed.

The city’s tax collector, Linda Cote, echoed his description, saying her daughter and family lived next door to him for a number of years.

“He was just a wonderful man, just so easy to talk to when I had interactions with him,” Cote said.

She said she has seen similar situations where a discharge wasn’t recorded for a years-old lien, a “quirk” that can occur in a busy office.

“Sometimes when we’re right in the thick of things, a discharge doesn’t get done, and if a discharge doesn’t get done, it makes it look like the city foreclosed on that,” Cote said. “The ones I have seen more of are back a number of years. Mr. Spaulding lived in that house for a long time and he was paying his taxes, and that would just never have shown up because computers are tax-year specific.”