LEWISTON – The city has a team of financial specialists that would have insights into the budget if a proposed tax-cap referendum is approved by voters this fall, says Robert Stone.

They’re called the Finance Committee, and Stone is a member.

“We have that committee, and we have some experienced members on it,” he said. “And this tax cap is one issue that has yet to be brought before us.”

City councilors are expected to vote Tuesday on a plan to create an independent board to review the city budget in case voters support a 1 percent cap on property taxes in November. That group would include at least one supporter, according to City Administrator Jim Bennett.

Councilors were split during discussions last week. Some supported the idea, saying the tax cap deserves an impartial review. Others said councilors would be abdicating their jobs if they created a new group.

Stone suggests bringing in the five members of the Finance Committee. According to the City Charter, he said, the committee is responsible for the general review of the city’s financial issues.

“Shouldn’t Finance at least be involved in the discussions?” Stone said. “What it comes down to is, how do we deal with a $20 million cut in the budget? When you have a question like that, I think Finance is one of the first groups you think of.”

Bennett said a new group might be more credible to tax-cap supporters.

“We have numerous boards we could ask,” Bennett said. “But we’ve wanted to get away from the people that are already involved in city government.”

Bennett has made his view clear several times in the past year: The tax cap would devastate local government in Maine.

According to Bennett’s numbers, the city’s property tax collections would drop from $39 million this year to about $14 million. Once debt payments and county taxes are paid, Lewiston would be down to $5 million in property tax revenue. That would force deep budget cuts, he said.

Stone admits the cap threatens to devastate Lewiston, although he doubts Bennett’s numbers. The city administrator hasn’t talked about the almost $35 million in non-property tax revenues – including state aid to education, revenue sharing and city fees, Stone said. The city could still count on that money in a post tax-cap budget, he said.

Bennett doubts it. Most city fees depend on people to collect them. Those city employees might be laid off if the city loses $22 million in property taxes.

“And if you don’t have parking-people to put out those tickets, you won’t get the parking revenue,” Bennett said.

Both agree the issue deserves more discussion.