Lane/Tommy: Remember the promises of our governor, legislature and organizations like the Maine Municipal Association about projected property tax relief when Maine voters approved LD 1?

LD 1 was heralded as tax relief because the state would have to fund 55 percent of the cost of local education. Supposedly this would reduce local property taxes, but we now know that it was a white lie so school boards could spend more money.

Similar to LD 1, we wonder if the school consolidation plan to reduce the number of school districts from 290 to 80 will save taxpayers money or is just another urban myth perpetuated by the powers that be?

Lane: As far as I can see, school boards are talking the talk but are not walking the walk with school consolidation. In order to save money, there must be real cuts in personnel so that our property taxes will truly be reduced. What I have heard is that some personnel contracts, even those of school superintendents, are being extended so that they won’t be fired. If nobody is laid off, there certainly won’t be any savings. After all, the definition of consolidation used here is to combine services in order to save money. I am beginning to believe that this plan is another con game perpetrated by our state government.

Tommy: I attended many meetings and debates regarding tax relief and LD 1. The prominent answer was that tax relief takes time. Evidently many officials already knew that LD 1 was a sham, which time has proved. So I must ask, how long should we expect to wait for tax relief under the so-called school consolidation plan?

Although it should bother us this plan appears to give superintendents and school boards the green light to determine how and what this consolidation plan is to accomplish, the final say will be the voter, thank God! It is always best that citizens approve what our elected and appointed officials do, otherwise we are letting the fox manage the hen house. So far, I have not seen projected savings from the debates that have taken place over consolidation.

Lane: I hesitate to think we will see a miracle happen over the consolidation plan that results in a reduction in our heavy tax burden. Remember that this plan won’t happen tomorrow or maybe even next year. It is either going to be a true piece of work that will reduce taxes or another typical fleecing of Maine taxpayers.

Lane/Tommy: Should we be skeptical of promises by officials assuring us of tax relief or should we always be suspicious of a wolf wearing sheep’s clothing? Although seemingly unrelated, the goal of taxing tourists more so Maine can reduce the tax burden on its citizens is an assumption that Mainers won’t be mugged by higher taxes on the same services. After all, we go out to eat, use hotels/motels and rent cars in Maine. If the goal is to tax tourists, shouldn’t we receive a special resident card that eliminates all those “tourist taxes” on us?

Just as Linus in the Peanut’s comic strip awaits the Great Pumpkin, we also entertain the hope of tax relief for all Maine citizens. Will the school consolidation plan be a trick or treat?

Lane and Tommy, of Windham, have discovered the patch where the Great Pumpkin resides. This has led them to research two miracles that happened within the Windham School Department. The first was the million dollar surplus during one school budget season and then the simply amazing $500,000 surplus two weeks after this year’s school budget was approved, which was described as down to the last penny and cuts were made.