Residents of Portland will be asked to weigh in on two ballot questions when they go to the polls in November.
The first of these questions — the result of a citizens initiative — would amend the City’s emergency wage provisions such that they would only go into effect when the City itself declares a state of emergency. Currently, the provisions automatically apply when the State of Maine declares an emergency for a region including Portland, regardless of the impact on employment conditions in the City.
The second question would amend Portland’s short term rental unit registration requirements, effective September 1, 2025.
The petition behind the emergency wage amendment was sent to City in May of this year by a group of citizens, officially constituting the “Petitioners’ Committee.” Shortly thereafter, a Ballot Question Committee (BQC) by the name of Keep It Local Portland was registered in support of the proposal under the same address.
BQCs are official organizations that spend or receive over $5,000 to affect a local referendum and must file reports on their financial activities.
Whenever Portland’s emergency wage provisions are triggered, the minimum wage is increased by 1.5 times the normal rate.
According to the Keep It Local Portland website, “the impact of [a state-level declaration] where Portland has no input is that many small businesses shut down, and a whole bunch of workers are out of work.”
“Last year, during one of the storm emergencies that caused major damage in other parts of the state, restaurants, daycares, and other businesses couldn’t afford to stay open – even though the storm had no impact on Portland,” the group wrote. “This impacts not only our small businesses, but workers, and citizens who depend on their services. Businesses that rely on state reimbursements – like daycare centers – were forced to close, and that means parents lost access to critical child care services.”
At the helm of the effort to approve the proposed amendment are daycare owners Tamara Gallagher and Sasha Shunk.
A September campaign finance report shows that the majority of financial support for the proposal has come from MaineHealth — the City’s largest employer — and Maine Alliance for Economic Growth, both of which contributed $25,000.
The Retail Association of Maine and the Maine Bakers Association PAC both donated $5,000, while the HospitalityMaine PAC contributed $1,000.
Opposing the amendment is the Maine chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), which had previously been responsible for bringing a hazard pay ordinance to voters in 2020.
According to the Portland Press Herald, former mayor and DSA member Ethan Strimling has framed the amendment as “an attempt to gut hazard pay,” reportedly spending about $2,000 opposing the proposal.
“Many workers here don’t live in Portland and have to commute from Saco or Brunswick or Fryeburg. People come a long way to work in Portland,” Strimling told the outlet. “If flooding is impacting nearby communities, it is impacting Portland workers.”
“These workers are doing those essential services, like delivering groceries, they’re doing the things we need done to keep society running and they should be compensated for that fairly,” he added.
Click Here to Read the Full Text of Question 1
Question 2 asks voters if they would like to approve amendments to the City’s short term rental unit registration requirements. If passed, these requirements would go into effect on September 1, 2025.
Short term rentals are defined in Portland as units available to rent for a period of less than thirty days.
Owner-occupied rentals would now need to provide both a form of identification and proof of homestead exemption, as opposed to one or the other as is currently required. If the owner is not eligible for the homestead exemption, a copy of the owner’s most recent tax return with financial information redacted must be provided instead.
The proposal would also require short term rentals on Peaks Island to specify and verify whether the unit is seasonal or year-round.
According to the note at the end of the proposed ordinance, the City Council would have the authority — “notwithstanding the limitation on the repeal or amendment of ordinances set forth in Portland City Code” — to amend or repeal the ordinance without approval at the ballot box from residents.
Click Here to Read the Full Text of Question 2
Although these two questions were the only ones to make the final cut and appear on the final version of the City’s ballot, these were not the only proposals under consideration leading up to the election.
Earlier this year, members of the Portland City Council voted against including two additional wage-related proposals on this year’s ballot. The first would have raised the city’s minimum wage to $20 an hour by 2028, while the other would have eliminated the tip credit.
The second of these two propositions was already rejected by 61 percent of Portland voters at the ballot box just two years ago.
The tip credit is a policy that allows businesses to pay employees below minimum wage so long as they make enough in tips to at least close the gap.
[RELATED: Minimum Wage Hike, Tip Credit Elimination Will Not Appear on the Ballot in Portland]
In addition to the two local questions which did make the final cut, Portland voters will also be tasked with weighing in on five statewide ballot questions, including one citizens’ initiative, three bonds, and one proposal from the State Legislature.
A detailed overview of these five questions by the Maine Wire is available here: These Five Questions Will Be On the Ballot in Maine This November.
Additional information from the Maine Wire about what to expect on this year’s ballot is available here: Everything You Need to Know About Casting Your Ballot in the Upcoming Election.
