Mills supports schools, offers property tax relief

As printed originally by the Portland Press Herald on September 26, posted with permission of the authors.

To the editor:

As homeowners, we’ve felt the gut-wrenching shockwaves of hefty real estate tax hikes over the last decade, but as retired educators, we’ve understood why. Our towns and school districts have struggled to cover education costs because the state of Maine has not been paying its required 55 percent share of local education expenses.

Voters passed this essential level of cost sharing in a 2004 referendum, but previous administrations ignored the legislation until Gov. Mills, a Democrat, took office. She understood the importance of both supporting our schools and giving tax relief to homeowners.

The state of Maine is finally fulfilling its 55 percent obligation to towns and schools, and this has relieved the crushing pressure on our tax bills.

And the story goes on. Under the previous administration, our property taxes surged when then-Gov. Paul LePage whittled down revenue sharing of state income and sales taxes from 5 percent to 2 percent. Gov. Mills recognized the problem and has restored the state’s share back to 5 percent, giving even more support for students and educators while helping homeowners like ourselves.

Thank you, Gov. Mills. You’ll get our votes.

Sam and Kayda Selby
Wiscasset