CITY MANAGER’S OFFICE
WEEKLY MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor Rines, Councilors and Department Heads
FROM: Jeffrey Kobrock, City Manager
DATE: October 15, 2004
RE: Weekly Memo
Meetings for the Week of October 18, 2004
Planning Board Wed., Oct. 20, 6:00 pm, City Hall
Housing Committee Thurs. Oct. 21, 8:30 am, City Hall
Joint WS Council/Water District Trustees
Thurs., Oct. 21, 7:00 pm, Boys & Girls Club Gym
Joint Workshop
On Thursday, October 21 at 7 PM the Council will meet in the second joint workshop with the Water District Board of Trustees. We will meet at the Boys and Girls Club in the Pray Street School. This is a follow up workshop designed to lead to action on cooperation between the two entities. An agenda is enclosed in this packet.
Maine State Chamber Tax Plan
The State Chamber of Commerce has proposed its own tax plan, as an alternative to the 1% Tax Cap initiative on the November 2 ballot. The Maine Service Centers Coalition (Gardiner is a member) endorsed the Chamber plan at a membership meeting last week. The Chamber had consulted with the Service Center Coalition in very meaningful ways during the development of this plan.
In presenting its own plan, the State Chamber also officially opposed the 1% Tax Cap initiative. The Chamber’s plan will be proposed as legislation when the Legislature convenes in January. Additionally, the Chamber will also collect signatures to place their tax plan as an initiative question on the November 2005 ballot to provide another option should the Legislature not adequately address the Chamber’s bill during its 2005 session.
Highlights of the “Maine Plan”:
Cap local, state, county and school spending at an annually adjusted rate not to exceed a 2.75% increase.
Create a targeted circuit breaker that caps property taxes at 6% of personal income.
Repeal the 1% Tax Cap (if approved on November 2).
The Chamber plans to create a broad based partnership to pursue this tax reform proposal regardless of the outcome of the 1% Tax Cap on November 2. It speaks well of the Service Center Coalition that it was involved in the creation of the plan and was the first organization asked to join the partnership.
In this packet
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