Property Tax Guide: Lubec, Maine
Lubec's property tax rate is not a stable, boring line item right now — it rose sharply for the fiscal year committed in October 2024, and it sits inside a Washington County government that was reported in December 2025 to be in the middle of a real, unresolved multi-million-dollar fiscal crisis. This page lays out both facts plainly, with real numbers and dates, rather than presenting Lubec's tax picture as calmer than it currently is.
The FY2024-2025 Rate: 15.4 to 19 Mills, a 23.4% Increase
Per The Quoddy Tides' own reporting on Lubec's October 21, 2024 tax-commitment meeting, Lubec's mill rate rose from 15.4 to 19 mills — a 23.4% increase — for the fiscal year committed that October. The total amount to be raised by property taxes rose to $4,299,987, a 15.9% increase over the prior year. This means, at the simplest level, a property assessed at $300,000 would owe roughly $5,700 in annual town, county, and school property tax at the 19-mill rate, versus roughly $4,620 at the prior year's 15.4-mill rate — illustrative math based on the reported rate, not a guarantee of any specific parcel's actual bill, which depends on its own assessed value and any applicable exemptions.
What Actually Drove the Increase
Five distinct factors combined to push the rate up, per the same reporting: a 22.9% increase in the local school budget (Superintendent MaryEllen Day and then-Select Board Chair Richard Huntley both pointed to years of deferred maintenance on the school building as a driver), a 20.1% increase in the county tax, a 5% increase in municipal appropriation, a 41.7% cut in state municipal revenue sharing, and a further 5.8% reduction in other town revenue sources (excise tax, tree-growth reimbursement). Notably, the county-tax component of that increase (20.1%) predates and is separate from the roughly $8 million Washington County debt-prepayment crisis reported in December 2025 (see below) — meaning county-level fiscal pressure on Lubec's tax bill was already building before that specific crisis became public.
Washington County's Own Fiscal Crisis, Layered on Top
Separately, in December 2025, Washington County — Lubec's home county, documented as Maine's poorest by median income and home value — was reported to be roughly $8 million in debt tied to past financial mismanagement, including underbilling member municipalities, and facing a year-end deadline to pay a tax-anticipation note. The county asked member towns to prepay their share of the debt by December 31, 2025, based on 2025 property valuations, to avoid interest charges on bonds the county would otherwise need to issue. Lubec's own specific share was $423,512; Town Administrator Suzette Francis said the town planned to cash out a $500,000 certificate of deposit (with the bank agreeing to waive the early-withdrawal penalty) to cover it, stating plainly, "either way, we're going to be made to pay it." This is a live, unresolved story as of this research — a build agent or buyer should check current status with the Town of Lubec directly rather than assume a specific resolution.
What a Buyer Should Actually Do
Confirm the current mill rate directly with the Town of Lubec's tax-commitment office before relying on the 19-mill FY2024-2025 figure, since a subsequent year's commitment may already reflect further change given the pressures described above. Ask specifically whether the Washington County debt-prepayment situation resulted in any additional county-tax pass-through for the current year. And request the specific assessed value (not market value) for any property under consideration, since Maine mill rates apply to a town's own assessed valuation, which can differ from a listing or appraised market price. Nothing on this page is tax or financial advice.
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Get a Free Agent Referral →Independent research. No ads. No sponsored listings. The FY2024-2025 mill-rate increase (15.4 to 19 mills, 23.4%), its five contributing factors, and the $4,299,987 total tax levy are per The Quoddy Tides' "Lubec property tax rate increases 23.4%." Washington County's roughly $8 million debt, the December 2025 prepayment request, Lubec's own $423,512 share, and Town Administrator Suzette Francis's quoted response are per the Bangor Daily News's "Time is running out for Washington County towns to come up with prepayment plans" (Dec. 2025), which also cites Washington County as Maine's poorest county by median income ($52,237) and home value ($147,100). The illustrative tax-bill math in this page is based on the reported mill rate applied to a hypothetical assessed value and is not a specific property's actual bill. Confirm the current mill rate and any specific parcel's assessed value directly with the Town of Lubec's tax office. See this site's lubec-me.md research document for full sourcing. Nothing on this page is tax, legal, or financial advice.