Planning and economic development positions are vacant as town heads into summer.

Shaun Farrar

Jun 08, 2026

The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by the Maine Seacoast Mission.

---

BAR HARBOR—As Bar Harbor moves toward setting its 2027 tax rate, the town has turned to an outside consulting firm to handle assessing duties after the resignation of its assessor, leaving the town without any employees in its assessing office during this stage of the tax process.

The town’s most recent assessor, Hannah Phelps began in Bar Harbor as an assessing assistant in February 2023, then became the town’s deputy assessor, and then its assessor in July 2025.

Phelps had replaced Steve Weed, who resigned in early June of last year to take a position in Belfast during the town’s reassessment process.

Phelps has since resigned and her position with the town ended in May.

The reassessment that Weed had performed last spring caused many of the approximately 3,800 Bar Harbor property owners to have some sticker shock when they opened their mail from the town and learned what their property’s value had been reassessed at.

Following Weed’s departure and while Phelps was on maternity leave, the town hired RCS Assessment Services as a consultant to reevaluate those assessment’s. Since that hiring, RCS Assessment Services has reorganized, to offer more municipal services, and is now know as Municipal Consulting Group of Maine.

Currently, Municipal Consulting Group of Maine is conducting the town’s annual spring review. Phelps had begun this process, and Municipal Consulting Group of Maine was brought in before her departure for continuity, but Municipal Consulting Group of Maine is finishing the parcel reviews that remain to be done.

The annual spring review is a process by which any building permits that were drawn within the previous 12 months, ranging from a new deck to a new dwelling unit on an existing property, are looked at so that the valuation of the property can be assessed with the new improvement.

In order to conduct these reviews, a representative from Municipal Consulting Group of Maine has to go to the physical address where the improvement took place and review the work that was done. The process includes having to actually see the work and most likely, take pictures of it.

According to Finance Director Sarah Gilbert, the staff doing the reviews will have clear identification and will be driving vehicles with Municipal Consulting Group of Maine markings as opposed to a Town of Bar Harbor vehicle.

Once that spring review is done, taxes can be finalized.

Gilbert said, “We hope to commit 2026 taxes in mid to late July—valuations finalized and mil rate set—to the tax collector. This process is the step where taxes become legally due. Tax bills mailed/emailed in early August.”

Additionally, Municipal Consulting Group of Maine will have office hours during normal town office hours on Thursdays. An appointment is not necessary but people may make one if they wish. Gilbert said that while the town does save money contracting the assessing services out, it has not yet decided if this will be a permanent solution or if it will seek out a new assessor to be employed by the town.

---

OTHER TOWN DEPARTURES AND OPENINGS

In the Planning Department, Haley Bondy, the community planner, who was in charge of both the Safe Streets for All project as well as the Northeast Creek Watershed project has resigned. Her job is currently posted. Bondy began in February 2024.

Also in the Planning Department, Emily Sprecher, who had been the town’s Sustainable Economic Development Manager, has moved on and her position is also posted. Sprecher had begun her time at Bar Harbor in September 2025.

The Town of Bar Harbor also has positions for a patrol officer and a purchasing agent, a newly created position whose funding was approved on June 2 at the town’s open town meeting.

---

LINKS TO LEARN MORE

AxisGIS – Assessors Online Database (NEW)

Property record cards and assessment information can be found using AxisGIS. For questions regarding your assessment or how to use this new platform, please contact the assessing office at (207) 288-3320 or email assessor@barharbormaine.gov.

Assessment page.

List of current jobs posted on the town’s webpage.

---

---

HELP SUPPORT THE BAR HARBOR STORY

When we started The Bar Harbor Story, we didn’t know if anyone would read it. But you showed up. You shared. You sent tips. Now—over 400,000 views every month later—it’s clear: people here care about their community and each other.

We’ve kept everything free because news should never be out of reach, but every one of our stories takes time to write, and your support keeps The Bar Harbor Story going.

If you value our work, please consider a paid subscription, a founding membership, or a sponsorship.

It truly helps us cover one more meeting, tell one more story, shine one more light.

Even $5 a month makes a difference. Click here to become a one-time supporter now.

Thank you so much for being here.

Founding member information can be found here.

Have questions about sponsorships? Just send Shaun an email at sfarrar86@gmail.com, he’d love to hear from you.