Oxford Select Board Advances Cannabis License Cap, Hears Tax Concerns

The Oxford Select Board held a public hearing on amendments to the cannabis facility licensing ordinance, including a cap of 14 active licenses and new transfer rules, and closed the hearing without a vote. The board also approved two tax abatements and denied a third, recognized a fire chief for a life-saving rescue, and heard a detailed update on falling state property valuations.

Key points

• Public hearing on cannabis ordinance amendments: no more than 14 active cannabis facility licenses at one time, with new rules for accepting applications when the cap is reached and for transferring licenses to a new location or licensee.
• Residents thanked the board for the ordinance but said they hoped the cap would eventually be lower; one asked whether the town could vote to reduce the number to 10, and a board member said the number was settled at 14 after several meetings and that voters will decide.
• The board approved abatements for Levi Reed ($84) and Artist Nightly ($33.60) and denied an abatement for Matthew McCollister, with the assessor citing the April 1 assessment deadline and an ongoing remodel.
• The State Fire Marshal's Office presented a life-saving award to Fire Chief Ashley Wax Armstrong for rescuing an infant and helping save three other occupants from a November 2025 structure fire on Alpine Street in South Paris.
• A resident of Jam Hill Drive asked the town to address dangerous speeding at a curve, and the board said it would talk to the public works foreman.
• The assessor reported the town's certified ratio dropped from 87 percent to a preliminary 78 percent, warned the town could face a mandated revaluation if it falls below 70 percent, and said neighborhood revaluations and updated cost tables are planned.

Next steps

• The town manager will bring the question of a 2027 referendum town meeting back to the board at its first November meeting.
• The assessor and town manager will create a schedule for neighborhood revaluations and revisit cost tables; the town has until November 15, 2026 to appeal its preliminary state valuation.
• The board will look into traffic concerns at the Jam Hill Drive curve with the public works foreman.
• The comprehensive plan committee will meet again on October 21, and a public survey is planned.
• The town is hiring a recreation director, transfer station attendant, and seasonal snowplow drivers.

Read the full transcript