A grateful homeowner

In the past winters, I have been able to shovel paths for oil delivery. Anticipating surgery, I advised the plow company I would need extra help in shoveling. Due to excessive amounts of snowfall, I requested a plowman to remove snow for oil delivery. When he did not call back to set a time I became concerned.

I decided to call the fire department for any suggestions they could offer. Thanks to Julie, she arranged for a college student volunteer with the police department to help. Within one hour, a very polite young man, Aaron, arrived in uniform with a shovel in hand. Aaron is studying to be a future police officer. Within 40 minutes, he had completed the task.

Many thanks and appreciation to the Scarborough police and fire departments.

June Doherty Escott

Pine Point Road

State budget impact could be significant

The Scarborough Town Council this year was fortunate to again host a workshop with our state legislators. I am grateful that Sen. Volk and Reps. McLean, Vachon and Sirocki were able to attend and engage in a dialogue on such important issues as revenue sharing, senior property tax relief, casinos, state mandates, road maintenance, and other proposed legislation.

These workshop opportunities also provide a starting point for the council and the community to hear the views of our legislative delegation on the new state budget and taxation proposals presented by the Governor’s office.

The workshop setting afforded the councilors the opportunity to express individual thoughts, concerns and priorities on the state budget. A council resolution, later adopted by the council, urges the Maine Legislature “to craft a biennial budget that prevents a significant increase in property taxes.” A draft of the resolution was provided to everyone prior to our meeting and was discussed during the workshop.

Although there have been voter-approved increases to school funding in recent years, the municipal budget has essentially been flat for five years. Under the budget recently presented by the Governor to the Legislature, Scarborough stands to lose $725,000 in Municipal Revenue Sharing. We also now know there is a $1.1 million loss in General Purpose Aid funding for Scarborough schools currently slated for this coming budget.

A combined $1.8 million revenue loss has the potential to mean significant increases in property taxes or potential reductions in essential services. This revenue black hole exists before we even begin discussions on budget needs or fixed cost increases.

For the average $300,000 household, with the additional loss of the homestead exemption, the revenue loss can potentially mean a $300 property tax increase for the average household just to start the conversation.

I am very concerned for the financial well-being of our community. I am hopeful the town can continue to work on solutions to mitigate potential financial impacts with our state representatives. As I mentioned at the end of the workshop, I found the session informative and beneficial. Building on this initial success, we hope to meet again in the near future.

A hard journey lay ahead. We are all in this together and I will continue to serve our community with the sole goal of advancing the best interests of all Scarborough residents.

Jessica Holbrook

Scarborough Town Council Chairwoman