Question 1A, as posted on the Maine Secretary of State’s Web page, reads:

“Question 1: Citizen Initiative 1A: Do you want the State to pay 55% of the cost of public education, which includes all special education costs, for the purpose of shifting costs from the property tax to state resources?”

1A wants to shift the cost for the state’s sudden increase of a 55 percent contribution to education from local property taxes to state resources, or to the state’s taxpayers.

It is very clear that 1A is not a savings for Maine taxpayers.

And, it is very clear that 1A does not guarantee that state taxes will not be raised, which are already very high when compared with other states, and a problem for businesses and economic development.

No wording in 1A is binding on local officials to reduce local property tax rates. Nothing in 1A guarantees that local elected officials will reduce property taxes.

Somebody has to pay for 1A if it passes, and we all know that taxpayers, are the ones who always “pay the piper.”

1B, however, unlike 1A, is sensible with its time frame for slowly raising the state’s contribution to education. 1B will enable the state to keep a hand on the state budget, control taxes and steadily raise its contribution to education.

On Nov. 4th, I hope Maine citizens will seriously consider voting for 1B, the sensible solution for funding education.

Tom Fallon, Rumford

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