POLAND – Selectmen and a state representative blame fat government budgets and voter apathy for the possible passage of a citizen-initiated referendum to cap property taxes.

“What we really have is a spending problem,” said Lois Snowe-Mello, state representative from Poland. “Even at our town meetings, we have to stop wanting everything. We need to look at what services are absolutely critical, and we’ve gotten away from that.”

Selectman Steve Robinson called for residents to wake up and participate in government decisions.

“If people want their taxes to go down, then they need to show up at town meeting,” Robinson said. “At the end of the day, we have to spend less. Everything we spend in Poland is voter-approved. And sometimes the few dictate the results for the many.”

Only 133 of Poland’s 3,596 registered voters showed up to participate in this year’s town meeting in April. Less than half of those voters stayed for the entire meeting. Town meetings are where elected officials receive approval from voters for local spending.

However, Selectman Bud Jordan noted that elected officials also should bear the responsibility for keeping spending down.

“We as selectmen have to take some responsibility too,” he said. “Where we can bring the mill rate down, we should.”

Board Chairman Glenn Peterson posed several questions about why budget cuts couldn’t be made without eliminating jobs and services.

“Why can’t we look at salary reductions for teachers instead of just cutting them,” said Peterson. “And why do we have to have one of the state’s most expensive high schools?”

Poland spent $8,326 per student at Poland Regional High School in 2003. The state average was $6,627, according to Department of Education data. Poland’s kindergarten through 12th grade school system ranks 49th out of 261 Maine schools for highest per pupil cost.

Snowe-Mello added that mandates from the state Legislature and imposed on municipalities also bear blame for rising property taxes. She also advocated a change in Maine’s constitution that would impose spending caps on the state budget.