The Portland City Council should be commended for its efforts to set priorities for the coming year, and I agree with many of its priorities. I suggest, however, that two additional goals should guide the council’s path forward:
• First, the council should consider the tax implications of its initiatives with the goal of reducing the current tax burden on residential property owners. Residential property owners simply cannot afford what is becoming an annual 3 to 5% tax increase. With the reported $10 million school deficit, all care should be taken to ensure that spending proposals are balanced against taxpayer impacts.
• Second, the council should consider adding an explicit goal of escalating efforts to: solicit both federal and private grants, particularly given Portland’s unique demographics and size; to work with the Maine legislature and governor to expand funding to Portland for social services and other priorities; and to work with the Maine congressional delegation to expand federal funding for Portland’s priorities.
It is critical that the council find new funding sources for ongoing and new initiatives rather than rely on what seems to be the annual call for higher taxes on Portland’s homeowners.
Ken Farber
Portland
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