55 Towns Oppose LePage Budget

 

55 towns across Maine have passed resolutions rejecting the extreme cuts and tax shifts proposed in Governor LePage’s two year budget. In just the last week, the towns of Gorham, Bar Harbor, Searsport and the city of Portland have passed resolutions urging lawmakers to consider other alternatives, including tax fairness, to increasing property taxes and cutting essential services.

“These cuts that the Governor has proposed are extreme and unfair,” said Bar Harbor town councilor Gary Friedmann. “Our town council unanimously passed this resolution as a message to our legislature to reject these regressive property tax increases and instead consider more equitable ways of balancing the state budget.”

Governor LePage’s two-year budget includes cuts to education and healthcare, in addition to ending $200 million in revenue sharing to Maine’s towns. An analysis conducted by the Maine Municipal Association finds that the town of Gorham alone is set to lose over $1.5 million from their budget if revenue sharing is ended.

An interactive map of towns where resolutions are planned to be submitted, and where resolutions have passed can be found here.