BELFAST - Augusta has shifted expenses to cities and towns. This is what municipal, county and school district officials say when they aren’t tearing each other limb from limb over rising property taxes.

At a forum on Oct. 16, hosted by the Waldo County Municipal Association, a handful of local officials got to ask current legislators and candidates what they would do about it.  

Those in attendance (see a complete list below) mostly agreed that the state has not been paying its share. But among the group, which included five multi-term legislators and many current or former town officials, few could say how this would change.

The topics ranged broadly. The thread that ran through all of them was money and fairness.
 

Municipal Revenue Sharing

City Manager Joe Slocum asked if the candidates would vote for a budget that continued a trend counter to state law that returns 5-percent of state tax receipts to municipalities.

While nearly all the candidates voiced support for revenue sharing, the 15-seconds given for replies did not allow much in the way of elaboration. 

Sen. Michael Thibodeau (R-Winterport) traced the origins of revenue sharing cuts to the Baldacci administration. “I did not vote for the budget that was passed that decreased the revenue sharing,” he said. Thibodeau voted against the 2008-09 budget and 2013-14 budget. He voted for the 2010-11 budget.

Many said that they either have not previously or would not vote for such a budget. Most noted that cuts to revenue sharing must be made up by property taxes, which Rep. Brian Jones (D-Freedom) called “the nastiest tax of all,” because it tends to disproportionately affect the poor. Others, including Joan Welsh (D-Rockport) pointed to the regressive nature of property taxes.

Peter Weston (R-Montville) expressed a reticence to make “I think every time we talk about these issues, they’re always fitting into a bigger picture. There isn’t any one thing. You cannot promise this because you have many, many things going on.”
 

“Unfunded Mandates”

Searsmont Selectman Bruce Brierley asked the panelists what they thought of them. Not surprisingly, most of the candidates seized the opportunity to condemn them, but several legislators pointed out complexities in the question.

Rep. James Gillway (R-Searsport) said bill titles often obscure the content. Unless you “drill down,” you might not know that it’s an unfunded mandate, he said.

Jones said a wide range of laws, from shoreland zoning rules to putting flags on gravestones, are unfunded mandates that are meant to be part of a partnership between state and local government. “The key to unfunded mandates is revenue sharing,” he said. “If the state is going to tell the towns what to do, we have to fully fund the revenue sharing.” 

Roads

Waldo Selectwoman Kathy Littlefield challenged the group on cuts to the Local Roads Assistance Program.

Gillway said some of the problem in funding road repairs has come as a result of increased fuel efficiency in vehicles, which means less gas tax revenue. “We’re becoming more efficient and that’s wonderful but we need to fill that gap.”

MaryAnne Kinney (R-Knox) said roads in New Hampshire were noticeably better, despite being subjected to similar weather patterns to Maine. Owen Casas (U-Rockport) suggested seeking out innovations that could cut the cost of road repairs and construction. Veronica Magnan (D-Stockton Springs) said the state needs to invest through bonding and keep a better rebuilding schedule rather than relying on short-term fixes.

Thibodeau, who owns a road construction company], said construction costs have skyrocketed due to the cost of petroleum. He also noted that there is less money coming from the Federal Highway Administration. “Things kind of flow downhill,” he said.

Money for schools: traditional, charter and virtual

Stephen Hopkins from the Regional School Unit 20 board of directors asked the candidates what they would cut to fund the cost of public school education at 55-percent. The figure comes from a 2004 citizen-initiated referendum that required the state to cover that portion. By most accounts the state has yet to reach that level, however some conservative groups, including the Maine Heritage Policy Center have said it depends how you calculate the percentage.

Weston and Kinney echoed this view on Thursday, asking: 55-percent of what.

Rep. Erin Herbig (D-Belfast), Gillway, Thibodeau and Jonathan Fulford (D-Monroe) all said the money would need to come from added revenue, not cuts.

“Everybody says they’re going to find savings if they go to Augusta,” said Fulford, a political newcomer. “I don’t think I’ll be any more successful at it.”

Others, including Jones and Welsh invoked tax reform. Welsh said she supports “exporting taxes” to visitors. The time limits on responses did not allow her to elaborate, but typically this would mean increasing taxes for goods and services related to the tourism industry. 

RSU 20 Superintendent Brian Carpenter asked if the candidates believed funding for charter and virtual schools should come from the state or remain with the sending district. The latter exists today and according to Carpenter has created a funding gap for the district.

Most of the candidates said it was too soon to pass judgment on charter and virtual schools altogether, but most also acknowledged potential problems with how they are paid for.

Jones, Magnan said they would like to see a moratorium on new ones until the effectiveness of those that exist can be evaluated.

Herbig and Welsh said the money should come from the state’s general fund. Others indicated an interest in school choice but confessed confusion about how the charter and virtual schools work in the larger system. Rep. Joe Brooks (U–Winterport) said he felt like he had been “steamrolled” by charter school proponents, but added that there could be benefits to the schools.

“Read my lips ...”

Perhaps sensing that the legislators weren’t answering the money question, John Burstein of Lincolnville tried to elicit a yes or no answer. Burstein, whose wife Christine Burstein (D-Lincolnville) was among the candidates’ panel, invoked George Herbert Walker Bush eating his words after promising, “Read my lips, no new taxes.”  Would the statehouse candidates raise taxes as necessary to pay its expenses? Burstein asked.

From the first answer, it was clear that the question was more slippery than Burstein apparently hoped. Rep. Herbig said the legislature was going to have to raise taxes, but went on to say there could be opportunities to lower income and property taxes.

Burstein tried to jump in to argue that you can’t raise taxes and also lower taxes, but he was cut off by moderator Geoff Herman of Maine Municipal Association.

As other candidates spoke, it became clear that many would vote to raise some taxes with the goal of reducing others. Fulford and Jones spoke of repealing the 2011 tax cuts in order take some of the burden off property tax payers. Brooks said he would like a tax reform study, noting that over 200 things are currently exempt from state sales tax. 

The question elicited some of the more opaque quotes of the night.

Brooks: “The pot is full—that we get money out of: the general fund— and it’s also limited.

Thibodeau: “Taking more money out of Maine’s economy to feed state government is not the best answer. It’s not how we attract investment in our state and grow our state’s economy ... The family budget needs more revenue, too. They’re struggling to make ends meet. And to say the state’s budget is more important than the family budget is a little unfortunate. I hope we haven’t gotten to that point.”

Magnan: “We’re all willing to do what we’ve got to do for the state of Maine.”

Is the unified corrections system working?

Waldo County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Jeff Trafton and County Treasurer David Parkman each addressed questions to the panel about the viability of the unified corrections system put in place in 2008. Trafton asked if the candidates believed the unification had been “properly implemented.” Parkman pointed to an annual gap between how much money is put into the system and how much it costs to operate.

Some pointed to the apparent success of the Maine Coastal Regional Reentry Center in Belfast and the fact that Waldo County has done better than most because it doesn’t have an expensive jail to run. But with the exception of several first time candidates who said they needed to study it more, all voiced concerns about the system.

As far as funding the shortfall, some pointed back to tax reform (Jones, Kinney, Fulford), others to economic growth (Herbig).

Thibodeau said part of the problem is the governance of the board of corrections. “Some counties are creating more of a crisis than really exists,” he said. “I don’t want to say padding. They’re driving up the costs of running the jails.” Thibodeau acknowledged a lack of funding and said both pieces needed to be fixed. “It’s nearly a crisis situation, because there is a significant problem,” he said.

“There is a significant problem,” said Casas, echoing Thibodeau. “We’ve all identified it.” 

The independent candidate’s answers had so far centered on his willingness to hear from people more informed than himself and also an interest in creative solutions.

“What are the solutions?” he said. “I don’t know. One of them could be legalizing pot. You’d have less people in the jails. You’d have additional tax revenue and you could put some of that money toward funding the jails.”
 

Did that answer your question?

Speaking after the forum, two local officials said the responses from the candidates came up short.

“I hear people saying, ‘I never supported you getting hurt on revenue sharing,’” said Slocum of Belfast. “Well, we’re getting hurt on revenue sharing”

“We’ve got power, apparently, in this district and we’re still getting whacked,” he said.

Hopkins of the RSU 20 board was no more impressed.

“They say they agree with funding the 55-percent, but they gave no indication how they’d pay for it,” he said.
 

Candidates present at the Oct. 16 forum (incumbents’ names appear first, in bold print) 

Senate District 11 - All of Waldo County (district begins and ends at county line)
Michael Thibodeau (R-Winterport), Jonathan Fulford (D-Monroe) 

House District 94 - Camden, Rockport, Islesboro
Joan Welsh (D-Rockport), Owen Casas (U-Rockport)
(Republican candidate Ronald Bovasso of Rockport did not attend)

House District 96 - Lincolnville, Belmont, Morrill, Montville, Liberty, Palermo, Searsmont
Christine Burstein (D-Lincolnville), Peter Weston (R-Montville)
(There is no incumbent in this race) 

House District 97 - Belfast, Northport, Waldo
Erin Herbig (D-Belfast), 
(Green Independent candidate Paige Brown of Northport did not attend. There is no Republican candidate in this race.)

House District 98 - Searsport, Swanville, Frankfort, Winterport
Joseph Brooks (U-Winterport), James Gillway (R-Searsport)
(both candidates currently serve in the Maine legislature, but must compete for re-election due to redistricting)

House District 99 - Burnham, Freedom, Unity, Troy, Brooks, Knox, Thorndike, Monroe, Jackson
Brian Jones (D-Freedom), MaryAnne Kinney (R-Knox)

House District 131- Prospect, Stockton Springs, Verona Island, Orland, Penobscot, Dedham, Otis
Veronica Magnan (D-Stockton Springs)
(Republican candidate Karleton Ward of Holden missed the forum in order to tend to his mother who had broken her arm, according to a prepared statement read by the moderator. There is no incumbent in this race due to redistricting)

Ethan Andrews can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com