South Portland council opposes TABOR II question
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South Portland Sentry: South Portland City Council members unanimously voted Monday in opposition to the Taxpayer Bill of Rights ballot question, known as TABOR II, which would modify the current state law on tax and expenditure limitations for state and local governments. Councilors agreed that while the referendum question may sound ideal to taxpayers, digging deeper into the bill revealed more problems than solutions for Maine’s municipalities. Many council members also said they were concerned over what they believe are TABOR’s shortcomings, including limitations on state and municipal budgets that could affect roads, emergency situations and future spending levels. “The biggest impact on Maine and most people is the highway. The city, this year, ended up paving some roads the state should be paving,” said Councilor James Hughes.
The city has taken care of state roads, including Broadway, because there was not enough money in the state budget to cover their upkeep. Since 2005, state and local governments have used LD 1, a state law that limits the extent to which local property taxes may increase in any given year. Under the law, the state has come in under mandated spending limits and South Portland has kept property taxes within the confines of LD 1, lowering Maine’s national ranking on tax burden, according to South Portland City Manager, James Gailey.
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