AUGUSTA (AP) – A legislative committee voted Wednesday in favor a bill to let Chebeague island separate from the town of Cumberland.
The State and Local Government Committee voted 11-0, with two votes outstanding, for a bill authorizing the secession as of July 1, 2007. The matter still faces action by the House and Senate.
On the mainland, Cumberland’s town council voted last month to adopt an agreement it forged with Great Chebeague and other islands to secede. Chebeague also would leave School Administrative District 51.
Residents of Great Chebeague want to break away to avoid rapidly rising taxes and property values. Islanders say they are paying more in taxes to Cumberland than they are getting in return.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.