AUGUSTA (AP) – The political dynamics have changed substantially since Maine’s upcoming referendum on school funding and property tax relief first went before statewide voters last fall.

But at heart, there remains a lot of trust-me on both sides.

Proponents, denouncing inaction by state government, maintain that boosting the state share of local schools costs from around 43 percent to 55 percent will enable cities and towns to reduce property tax levies.

Opponents, urging a more gradual approach, say the ballot proposal offers no guarantee of benefits to local taxpayers and would drain money from popular services – or add to pressure for higher state taxes.

In the November referendum go-round, the pending citizen initiative to force an immediate quarter-of-a-billion-dollar infusion of state aid for local schools won a slim plurality over a phased-in competing measure sponsored by Gov. John Baldacci and the Legislature.

The inconclusive referendum results left the competing measure dead while the citizen initiative, championed by the Maine Municipal Association and the Maine Education Association, survived for another vote – up or down, without alternative. The debate leading up to Tuesday’s vote has repeated the original arguments of proponents and opponents.

Now, however, critics of the ballot question say a realistic series of step increases in school funding is already under way.

In May, Baldacci signed legislation envisioning annual hikes in state aid and caps on tax rates that communities would need to impose to raise their portion of the costs of essential education programs and services. Legislative advocates say that as state aid increases in 2006, towns would need to raise no more than $9 per $1,000 of valuation for education; by 2010, when the state share of local costs is scheduled to reach 55 percent, the proposed cap would be $8 per $1,000 valuation.

Citizen initiative supporters, meanwhile, have offered to go along with modifications to their plan if it obtains voter approval. That offer, announced in the closing hours of this year’s legislative session, would give the state four years rather than requiring the entire school aid increase to be put up immediately.

Opening the door to post-referendum revisions to the citizen initiative is no selling point, Baldacci says, asking, “if it’s broken, why pass it?”

Municipal officials backing the ballot question say it is more important than ever now as a way to head off passage of a more sweeping proposal – to cap property taxes at $10 per $1,000 of assessed value, based on values in 1996-97 – that has been cleared for the November ballot.

The so-called Palesky proposal “significantly limits the ability of municipal government to replace lost revenue and would effectively take away the ability of Maine citizens to self-govern,” says Dana Lee, an MMA spokesman and president of Citizens to Reduce Local Property Taxes Statewide.

In April, a bare majority of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court said in an advisory opinion that at least part of the property-tax cap championed by Carol Palesky of Topsham would be unlawful.

The court majority said it appeared that the initiative would run afoul of a constitutional provision requiring property taxes to be based on fair market value.

Palesky suggested it was premature for the court to take up the issue and reiterated her view that this November’s proposal is based on a California measure that passed muster with the U.S. Supreme Court.

In contrast to last year’s more extensive pre-referendum campaign, the run-up to Tuesday’s follow-up vote has been conducted on a short track.

Campaign finance statements on file with state officials show that ballot question proponents have raised about a half a million dollars – about double the amount available to opponents – to promote their views.

In calling for the state share of local school costs to rise to 55 percent, the ballot question would have the state assume 100 percent of special education costs – about 40 percent of the overall increase.

The June 8 ballot question reads: “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?”

In February 2003, Maine’s secretary of state certified nearly 100,000 signatures that had been gathered by citizen initiative supporters.