Governor Sends Letters to Treasurer and Legislative Leadership Regarding Bonds

Contact: Adrienne Bennett, Press Secretary, 207-287-2531

AUGUSTA – Governor Paul R. LePage today delivered a letter to Legislative leadership and the State Treasurer clarifying his position and future intentions regarding bonding in 2016. In the letter the Governor indicates he will issue $5 million in Land for Maine’s Future bonds, which were ratified in 2012. Authority to issue another $6.47 million in LMF bonds was allowed to expire in November, due to Legislative inaction.

“My position all along has been that if wealthy landowners are going to benefit from selling their properties to the publicly funded LMF program, then senior citizens and other low-income Mainers should get a commensurate benefit,” wrote Governor LePage. “LMF bonds pay to take large tracts of land off the local tax rolls, which forces local property taxes to go up. All of this combines to increase taxes on the Mainers who can least afford it: middle-class families, the working poor, senior citizens and others on fixed incomes.”

“Make no mistake, I respect the will of the people. They elected me twice to bring fiscal responsibility and common-sense reform to state government, which includes managing our state’s debt and rooting out greedy politicians.”