The board is in favor of a constitutional amendment to cap state spending.
By Noreen Coolidge
Special to the Sun Journal

WILTON – Selectmen agreed to sign a letter Tuesday addressed to state Rep. Tom Saviello, D-Wilton, in support of a constitutional amendment to cap state spending.

A group of 29 Democrats and Republicans, including Saviello and one independent, have been working on a proposal for property tax relief and tax reform for the past month. The group is called the Coastal Caucus. The proposal includes property tax relief, government spending controls, and budget and tax neutral revenue with nine components.

Those components include a state spending cap, an increase in school funding and Homestead Exemption, changes to the revenue sharing program, a homestead tax and homestead land values cap, raising the state sales tax by one cent, and Gov. Baldacci’s proposed incentives for rationalization and shared services.

Saviello said the group looked at multiple plans. Other proposals do not cover all of the aspects this one does. Some also do not address how their plan would be paid for. “There has been no real concerted effort at all for property tax reform,” Saviello said.

Under the Coastal Caucus plan, there would be at least a one half cent state general sales tax increase, along with increases on taxes for tobacco and alcohol or restaurants and lodging. The plan would cost $94 million in the next fiscal year.

The state spending cap is tied to the growth of the personal income of Maine residents. “If we’d had that cap 10 years ago, we’d probably be working with a 10 percent surplus today,” Saviello said.

Saviello said a 2/3 vote of the House and 2/3 vote of the Senate is required before the plan can be sent to voters.

In other business, selectmen signed updated mutual aid agreements with 17 surrounding towns, plus MeadWestvaco and International Paper companies. Town Manager Peter Nielsen said the agreements keep any liability with each town when they assist each other.

Fire Chief Sonny Dunham told officials his department and the Water and Sewer Department have been working together to come up with a plan to purchase equipment for confined space rescue. The Water and Sewer Department would use the equipment the most, Dunham said.

Dunham said while Wilton has never been called on to do a confined space rescue, they need at least basic equipment to meet Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards. He said the cost of basic equipment would be about $5,000. Dunham also said free training for such rescues could be obtained.

Dunham said Water and Sewer Department Superintendent Russ Mathers said he has about $2,000 in his budget to put toward the purchases. He asked Selectmen to consider asking the town for the other $3,000 at the annual town meeting in June. Dunham suggested creating a town warrant article separate form the Fire Department account.

Selectman Rodney Hall suggested that if the equipment would be primarily used by Mathers, then the money for the purchase should come from his budget rather than taxpayer dollars. Selectmen asked Dunham to work with Mathers on a proposal and to bring it to the board at their next meeting April 20.

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