South Portland residents approved two of the three bonds on this year’s ballot but rejected a $12.3 million proposal to fund the “design, construction, and equipping of improvements to the South Portland High School athletic stadium complex.”
Voters also passed a charter amendment requiring citizen approval for the sale, lease, trade, or gift of three key City-owned properties: Mill Creek Park, Bug Light Park, and Hinkley Park.
While the two smaller bonds on the ballot — seeking a combined $4 million for maintence and improvements at the City’s public schools — were overwhelmingly approved, both receiving over 75 percent support, the $12.3 million bond was rejected by more than 56 percent of those who voted.
Had the bond for the High School athletic stadium complex been approved by voters, the funds would have been used to construct: “8-lane 400 meter track, infilled synthetic turf field and lightening, two multi-purpose infilled synthetic turf fields, an infilled synthetic turf field for the marching band, seven tennis courts, a new track event and practice space, a new concessions building, permanent restroom facilities, [and] storage.”
The rejection of this proposal comes just weeks residents throughout the City were shocked to receive significantly higher property tax bills as a result of revaluations that were conducted this year.
At a recent City Council meeting, some residents reported seeing their bills spike by as much as 60 percent over last year, raising concerns about the ability of some — particularly senior citizens — to remain in their homes in the face of these rising costs.
[RELATED: South Portland Residents Passionately Address Property Tax Concerns at City Council Meeting]
The first of the two bonds that South Portland voters did approve at the ballot box Tuesday secured $1 million in funding for upgrades and maintenance to the roofs at Kaler Skillin, and Small Schools, the windows at Kaler School, and the “auditorium pit and Beal gym entrance” at South Portland High School.
The other approved bond included $3 million bond to fund the “design, construction, and equipping of improvements” to public school buildings in South Portland, including vestibules, cameras, and lighting.
[RELATED: What’s On the Ballot in South Portland This Year?]
The charter amendment requiring citizen approval for the sale, lease, trade, or gift of popular South Portland properties was the most widely approved local measure on the City’s ballot, receiving support from 83.2 percent of voters.
This proposal stemmed from a months-long discussion by the City Council with roots in the Council’s 2019 decision to incorporate the Open Space Plan into their 2012 Comprehensive Plan.
At that time, the City created a property tiering ordinance by which “non-tax-acquired City-owned parcels would be designed into one of three tiers.” Nearly two years later, the Council amended the ordinance to create “the process for and requirements for tiering City-owned property.”
In February of 2023, the Council considered designating a portion of Bug Light Park as a Tier 1 property — the most protected class — but ultimately decided against doing so as it would have ceded a great deal of “power over the property to another entity.”
Several months later, the Council reviewed several options for protecting Tier 1 public lands that did not involve establishing conservation easements with non-City bodies.
On September 12 of last year, the City Council was presented with a draft charter amendment requiring citizen approval for the sale or lease of Mill Creek Park, Bug Light Park, and Hinkley Park. Although Councilors were supportive of this approach, they “wanted additional time to consider whether other properties should be added.”
A month later, the Council ultimately directed staff to include these same three properties, and only these properties, in a proposed charter amendment requiring voter approval to be sold.
During a public hearing held on February 20 of this year, there was discussion of possibly adding a prohibition on “development” into the proposed charter, but Councilors ultimately decided against doing so.
A motion sending the proposed amendment as written to voters was eventually approved by a 6-1 vote, with Councilors Misha Pride, Linda Cohen, Steven Riley, Elyse Tipton, Richard Matthews, and Natalie West voting in support and Councilor Rachael Coleman voting in opposition.
Section 204 of the City Charter previously read:
City property care and management: The city council shall have legal custody of all the city public buildings and land, but the care, superintendence and management thereof shall be under the administrative direction of the manager, except for school property as provided in section 905.
The now-approved amendment adds a second subsection after this text specifically designating the parcels of land constituting Mill Creek Park, Bug Light Park, and Hinckley Park as ones that cannot be “sold, leased, traded, or given away in whole or in part” without citizen approval via a referendum vote.
These changes went into effect immediately on November 5, 2024.
Click Here to Read South Portland’s Full Election Results
Smart move. If you build it mills will fill it.
Get a reverse mortgage Pride won reelection by 65 votes.
I bet when you do your investigations you’ll find more than 65 illegals or non citizens voted in So. Ptld.