By Michael Shepherd - Aug. 9, 2022
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📷 Rep. Bruce Bickford, R-Auburn, sits at his desk in the State House in Augusta on Dec. 7, 2018. (BDN photo by Troy R. Bennett)

Good morning from Augusta. There are 91 days until Maine's November elections.

What we're watching today

A property tax freeze program for seniors is a big deal, yet there have been few boasts from elected officials. Maine's sweeping property tax freeze program went into effect on Monday. The reaction to it has been strong in the state's high-tax towns. In Cape Elizabeth alone, 214 seniors signed up as of yesterday, with one citing the potential effect from a school redevelopment project in the tony Portland suburb.

The program snuck under the radar this year. First proposed in 2021 by Sen. Trey Stewart, R-Presque Isle, it was first shot down by a committee but remained alive through the end of 2022 budget discussions. Republicans were able to revive it for the small price of $315,000 in administrative costs, even though costs for the whole program are expected to balloon to $14 million in the third year of implementation and would rise from there. Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, allowed it to go into law without her signature.

All Mainers 65 and older who have owned a home here for at least 10 years that is eligible for the Homestead Exemption can apply every year to have their taxes frozen at the previous year's level. This applies even if you move from a low-value area to a high-value one. The state will pay towns the difference between the frozen taxes and what the full tax value should be.

Many local tax assessors across the state are worried about the law. One reason is that the state has not paid for it yet. Another is that it will force changes to the municipal process of tracking tax values, making them calculate values every year that a segment of residents will not be paying. Stewart has dismissed many of these concerns, saying the state can easily weather the program's first year and consider tweaks after that.

As the long-term gap grows between current tax levels and future ones, the program promises to be a large one that could reshape the way property taxes are considered in Maine. But the program has not been much touted by policymakers in an election year. For example, it is not on Mills' list of actions she has taken to ease the local tax burden.

Republicans have been more energetic, trying to use it as an early wedge issue in the 2022 campaigns despite easy bipartisan passage. In a recent radio address, Rep. Bruce Bickford of Auburn said his party had to convince Democrats to support it and noted that Mills did not support the bill with her signature.

"That is one small, but important way we can help Maine seniors remain in their homes," he said.

Conservatives are not all behind it. The news arm of the conservative Maine Policy Institute published a dim review last month, saying it could add "a potentially unmanageable expense to the state’s budget" because roughly one-sixth of the state's population could apply. Libertarian-leaning David Boyer, a Republican running for a House seat centered on Poland, "qualms" as he was publicizing sign-up information for those in his area.

The low-key passage and a program design that is concerning to many could explain why the property tax freeze is not getting the political credit-taking that we might otherwise expect. But everyone has an incentive to help seniors sign up for a program that could help them a lot someday.

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What we're reading

— Some of Mills' early-pandemic advisers were family members. Her sister, Dr. Dora Mills, an executive at MaineHealth, provided advice on how to keep the governor safe from COVID-19, emails show.

— Here's what the so-called Inflation Reduction Act means for Maine. (There are lots of benefits, but it probably will not do much to address inflation.)

— Bangor is considering rent control to curb rising costs, something only Portland has done so far in Maine.

— For the first time in 13 years, cities and towns will get 5 percent of state tax revenue under budgets passed by Mills and the Democratic-led Legislature, Maine Public reports.

— Someone asked us why Maine has interstates 95, 195, 295, 395 and 495. It turns out they are just easier to remember.

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News and notes

📷 U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat from the 2nd District, speaks to the press at Husson University in Bangor on June 28, 2022. (BDN photo by Linda Coan O'Kresik)

Maine's swing-district congressman launched his first round of ads.

— A 60-second spot titled "Independent" kicks off what will be a long and expensive ad war for Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat from the 2nd District. Watch the ad.

— He faces former Rep. Bruce Poliquin, a Republican, and independent Tiffany Bond. All three were on the ballot together in 2018. The district voted for former President Donald Trump in both 2016 and 2020, although Golden narrowly outpolled the Republican in the last election.

— As you might expect from the title, the ad highlights Golden's votes against his party in Congress, including on President Joe Biden's "Build Back Better" plan in November. Poliquin's campaign has tried to work around his notable swing votes to tie him to leadership in a familiar tactic from past campaigns.

A senator holds her first public event in Maine since the high court's landmark abortion decision.

— Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, will be in East Millinocket this afternoon to visit the Katahdin Higher Education Center, an offshoot campus of Eastern Maine Community College and the University of Maine at Augusta, to highlight a child care initiative funded by a recent $4 million earmark.

— Collins has not held a public event in Maine since mid-June, before the Supreme Court overturned federal abortion rights. The senator was a key figure after the decision after predicting the court would not overturn Roe v. Wade and later said two justices she voted for "misled" her on the issue.

— Early this month, Collins, who is one of the rare Republicans to support abortion rights, introduced a bipartisan bill aiming to codify Roe protections, but the 60-vote filibuster makes it unlikely to advance through the 50-50 Senate.

Five referendum questions are heading to Portland's ballot.

— Four came from the Maine chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, including one that would bump the city's hourly minimum wage to $18 by 2025, a mark that is higher than any minimum wage in the country right now, and repeal the tipped minimum wage. Another one in that slate would impose cruise ship restrictions.

— City councilors officially advanced each question to the ballot at a Monday meeting, according to the Portland Press Herald.

Get your absentee ballots.

— Mainers can now request absentee ballots for the November election. Do it.

— While requests opened on Monday, you will not get your ballot until roughly 30 days before the election. The deadline to return them is 8 p.m. on Nov. 3, which is Election Day. Here's your soundtrack.

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