Posted on 08/16/2004 1:32:02 PM PDT by Mini-14
A tax proposal based on California's "Proposition 13" will be on the November 2 ballot in Maine, and librarians and others are warning that it could devastate municipal services. The proposal, spearheaded by Maine Taxpayer Action Network head Carol Palesky, would roll back assessed property values by almost a decade and impose a property tax cap of 1% (or 10 mills) on the new value. The Maine Municipal Association projects a municipal tax revenue loss in FY 06 of nearly $600 million, or a 30% reduction in property tax revenues. However, that assumes that part of the measure would be unconstitutional; if it proposal were to pass and then pass constitutional muster as written, the cut would exceed $900 million.
If the cap passes, noted Steve Norman, director of the Belfast Free Library, "the contingency budget for my library's municipality shows library funding eliminated (except for a small income from a city-held library endowment). Also eliminated is funding for the City Manager's office and the entire police department--as well as for most municipal services!" Norman, president of the Maine Library Association, said in an e-mail posting that most municipally-funded public libraries "of a decent size" would be similarly affected. Thus, the library association has joined a broad-based coalition of organizations, involving other municipal employees like teachers, police, and firefighters as well as groups like the American Association of Retired Persons, to form a political action committee to defeat the measure. The Municipal Association noted, "If the vote on the tax cap were held today, there is little doubt that it would pass. Maine's property tax system needs to be fixed. But the measure on the ballot would wreak havoc on the general welfare."
Prop 13 was one of the best things CA voters ever did. The legislature still wants to spend ever larger fractions of our state income, but this is one thing holding them back (even if imperfect). I highly recommend this to the voters of Maine. Good luck and best wishes.
PING
I hope it's going to pass. You wouldn't believe the dire predictions coming out from these groups. No snow removal, scaled back fire, police departments. I can't wait to cast my vote.
Last poll I saw (last week) had it 63-37 in favor. Bangor Daily News won't print pro-Tax Cap op-ed pieces!!
I'm voting for it, and I honestly don't know anyone who isn't!!
The scare tactics are getting ridiculas. In my town the school board spends like drunken sailors (no offense to our sailors), and that's when our largest tax-payer went out of business!!
TAX CAP YES!
I was a CA homeowner for 20 yrs under 13 and I hope to now have my ME property tax capped so I can live another 20 yrs here without having to move,
You have to remember that politicians live by the rule "I can tax Peter to buy Paul's vote." The hysteria will increase to almost unbearable levels. Do it anyway. Do it for the children. If we take away the income transfers from state spending (welfare, make work jobs, etc.), there is plenty of money to do all that a state government needs to do. Tell your elected representatives that.
I never had the pleasure of visiting Maine, but it sounds like a great place. AND it is home to Bushmaster Firearms (Windham).
Maine has beautiful geography, and, while slow to warm up to 'folks from away,' the natives are really good, hard-working people. I live less than 5 miles from the Bushmaster factory.
As long a polictiican can buy votes with tax money, there will always be a reason to raise taxes.
I would really like to see a list of priorities for tax money. I would have police and fire on top. Infrastructure (road and building maintenance next), schools next, followed by the administrators for the city, followed by parks and playgrounds.
Welfare and social programs would not be on my list.
Judging by most of the librarians that I have met up here, you can vote for anything that they are against.
Thanks for the ping. I'm confused with this. Is this a good thing or a BAD thing? I'm trying to figure out what is going on.
Eh? How with they get paid????
And guess what! My prop taxes are due before the 1st of October. Figures.
I haven't studied the "PRop 13" parallel. Tough call. Some old timers in prime real-esate are taxed out of their homes as the propery becomes desired by more people. Lakefront Big Sebago is an example, I know a few folks who have been lake-front for 30+ years, and their tax increases are 10x. On the other hand, property taxes tend to be a local issue, town by town.
All that being guessed, my inclination is to be against the proposition. The folks who have land that appreciates in value x10 can get a windfall by sale, etc. If the land is worth more, the taxes should go up. Otherwise, people like me in slowly-appreciated land will have OUR property taxes go up. That's just my take on it. Plenty of reasonable arguments on the other side.
To me it is a good thing for it will cause the school departments to rein in their spending, or even let the private sector take over ...... in the meantime towns will focus on what is important. Public safety and roads.
Well, I don't mean to sound dumb, but hubby always took care of this, and I never bothered looking into it. Now I have to.
But what did the one poster mean that there will be no pay for snow removal, and the Fire and Police Departments? What does one have to do with the other?
I'm surrounded by potato fields, so I doubt if my property increased in value any. The house, probably. But not the land. It's not like I sit on a lake.
That WOULD be a good thing. Especially the roads!
Understood. I was born and raised in a small town (pop. 7000) and it is different dealing with people you have known for 40 years versus those you have known for 40 minutes. If I was still in manufacturing Bushmaster would be on my short list of firms I would be interested in working for. Nice products, nice customer service, etc.
All that is a "it depends" question. Public services have to be paid for somehow. Depending on where your snow removal, fire and police services come from, affects how (which taxes) the services are paid for. Standish used to have its own police, then opted to pay the county sheriff (less) for similar coverage. The devil is in those details. For the most part, the taxes work out pretty fairly, and after all the pissing and moaing, the taxes don't change much, given a level of service.
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