The Maine Wire
  • News
  • Commentary
  • The Blog
  • About
    • Contact
  • Investigations
    • Data
  • Donate
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending News
  • USDA Shuts Down U.S. Mexico Livestock Trade to Contain Deadly Flesh-Eating Parasite Spreading in Mexico That Can Devastate Herds and Infest Humans
  • Maine’s “Success” Battling Overdoses Lost In The (Chinese) Weeds
  • Maine Supreme Court Upholds Shenna Bellows’ Wording of Voter ID Referendum Question
  • Circuit Court Voids FTC’s Rules Making It Easier to Cancel Subscriptions, But Mainers Will Still Reap the Benefits Under New, Bipartisan Law
  • Jared Golden Sponsors Bill Increasing Penalties for Violence Against Law Enforcement as Attacks Spike
  • Massachusetts Republican Party Credits The Maine Wire for Triad Weed Bust in Their State
  • Pro-Mamdani PAC Took Donation From Islamist Cleric Who Vouched For Terror Plot Mastermind
  • Kids Behaving Badly: Six Juveniles Charged in Connection to Burglaries, Vandalism in Bingham
Facebook Twitter Instagram
The Maine Wire
Monday, July 14
  • News
  • Commentary
  • The Blog
  • About
    • Contact
  • Investigations
    • Data
  • Donate
The Maine Wire
Home » News » News » Lewiston Rep Wants Schools, Not Towns, to Set Property Taxes
News

Lewiston Rep Wants Schools, Not Towns, to Set Property Taxes

Steve RobinsonBy Steve RobinsonMay 5, 2023Updated:May 5, 2023No Comments3 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Reddit
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email

Schools would be in the driver’s seat for determining property taxes under a proposal from Rep. Mana Abdi (D-Lewiston) that would re-work how municipalities approve school budgets.

If Abdi’s bill, LD 1748, were to pass, then school districts would be able to avoid getting local voter approval on budgets through voter referenda unless certain petition requirements were met.

Under current Maine law, school administrative units, regional school units, and community schools must submit to a budget validation referendum process. Although voters can opt to suspend the requirement for a period of time, residents of a district are typically asked to approve or reject school spending on a regular basis.

The requirement gives voters an opportunity to accept or reject school spending increases, which can involve hefty increases in property tax assessments.

Abdi wants to make it easier for schools to circumvent the budget validation requirement.

Under Abdi’s proposal, residents who wanted the school budget to be subjected to a vote of the citizenry would have to collect petition signatures equal to 20 percent of the total number of people who voted in the last gubernatorial election.

In other words, school budgets wouldn’t have to be approved by voters as a matter of routine. Instead, budgets would only go for a vote after some residents took the additional step of collecting petition signatures.

According to the Maine Policy Institute, the consequences of such a law would be severe for property taxpayers. (Disclosure: The Maine Wire is a project of the Maine Policy Institute.)

In an email to its supporters, MPI said Abdi’s bill could increase property taxes by as much as 35.4 ( a number that was later revised down subsequently to a more reasonable 19.5) percent in Gorham, 16.4 percent in Westbrook, and 7.5 percent in Brunswick, based on recent budget requests produced by school officials.

That because if a school board approved a steep budget increase, property taxes would necessarily have to increase in order to meet the new demand for funding.

In her testimony supporting the proposal Tuesday, Abdi said it was a “niche” and “wonky” issue but “one that would strengthen Maine’s democracy while saving taxpayer money.”

Abdi said that very few people turn out to vote in school budget referenda in Lewiston. Therefore, allowing elected school board officials to make budget decisions without subjecting those decisions to voter approval is more democratic than allowing everyone to vote on the budget itself.

She said the current referendum process “undermines the authority of elected school boards and wastes taxpayer money administering pointless elections very few people bother to participate in.”

Previous Article“If you know, why won’t you tell me?”: Biden Energy Secretary Grilled in Senate Hearing
Next Article Arata Bill Would Force Abortionists to Disclose Prior Involvement in Abortion-Related Injury or Death
Steve Robinson
  • Twitter

Steve Robinson is the Editor-in-Chief of The Maine Wire. ‪He can be reached by email at Robinson@TheMaineWire.com.

Subscribe to Substack

Related Posts

USDA Shuts Down U.S. Mexico Livestock Trade to Contain Deadly Flesh-Eating Parasite Spreading in Mexico That Can Devastate Herds and Infest Humans

July 12, 2025

Maine’s “Success” Battling Overdoses Lost In The (Chinese) Weeds

July 12, 2025

Maine Supreme Court Upholds Shenna Bellows’ Wording of Voter ID Referendum Question

July 11, 2025

Leave A Reply

Subscribe to Substack
Recent News

USDA Shuts Down U.S. Mexico Livestock Trade to Contain Deadly Flesh-Eating Parasite Spreading in Mexico That Can Devastate Herds and Infest Humans

July 12, 2025

Maine Supreme Court Upholds Shenna Bellows’ Wording of Voter ID Referendum Question

July 11, 2025

Circuit Court Voids FTC’s Rules Making It Easier to Cancel Subscriptions, But Mainers Will Still Reap the Benefits Under New, Bipartisan Law

July 11, 2025

Jared Golden Sponsors Bill Increasing Penalties for Violence Against Law Enforcement as Attacks Spike

July 11, 2025

Massachusetts Republican Party Credits The Maine Wire for Triad Weed Bust in Their State

July 11, 2025
Newsletter

News

  • News
  • Campaigns & Elections
  • Opinion & Commentary
  • Media Watch
  • Education
  • Media

Maine Wire

  • About the Maine Wire
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Submit Commentary
  • Complaints
  • Maine Policy Institute

Resources

  • Maine Legislature
  • Legislation Finder
  • Get the Newsletter
  • Maine Wire TV

Facebook Twitter Instagram Steam RSS
  • Post Office Box 7829, Portland, Maine 04112

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.