LEWISTON – Along with the economic analysis, the prescriptions for success and the calls for reform unveiled by the Brookings Institution on Thursday, there was also validation, especially for Lewiston and Auburn.

For the past 18 months, The Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution has been examining Maine’s economy and developing a bold action plan that includes almost $400 million worth of investment, a call to cut between $60 million and $100 million a year from state government and a restructuring of the state’s tax code.

On Thursday, the plan – brimming with optimism for the state’s future but cautious that prosperity is not guaranteed – was unveiled to a standing-room-only crowd in downtown Lewiston.

“We could not be in a more fitting location for what we’re talking about,” said Alan Caron, the president of GrowSmart Maine, which commissioned the study.

With a price tag of nearly $1 million, Charting Maine’s Future: An Action Plan for Prosperity and Quality Places, takes a comprehensive look at the state, identifying its strengths and weaknesses.

One of those strengths is the value of the Maine brand and the quality of life available in its communities.

“Lewiston and Auburn is one of the most striking places I’ve seen, not just in New England but in the United States,” said Bruce Katz, the director of the Metropolitan Policy Program.

Standing on the third floor of Bates Mill No. 6, Katz talked about the importance of revitalizing central communities as a way to enhance economic development, reduce development pressure and stop the suburbanization that threatens the state’s open spaces and the special quality that draws people to Maine in the first place.

“What Maine has is the quality of place that will help you compete,” Katz said.

To protect those qualities, and to keep Maine from turning into Every Place, U.S.A., Katz said that the state needs to follow L-A’s model and make it easier for development to happen in older communities.

“The more you can grow cities like Lewiston and Auburn, the less pressure there will be on the periphery,” Katz said.

“Regulation has tilted development away from cities and toward green fields,” Katz said. “We’ve got to level the playing fields on development so we can unleash the potential of these older communities.”

According to Katz, Maine has great potential for prosperity, but progress is not guaranteed. Bold action, he said, is needed to move the state forward and to overcome many of the challenges it faces.

For the gathered illuminati of the area’s revitalization efforts, the optimism of the report’s authors struck a chord.

“Clearly, the work we’ve done on an intergovernmental front has made us a leader not only in Maine, but also in New England,” said Lucien Gosselin, president of the Lewiston Auburn Economic Growth Council. “Looking at the things we’ve done collective, I take a great deal of pride in our long-term accomplishments.”

The Brookings Institution recommendations include two large, 10-year bond programs, which would allocate $390 million to land preservation, research and development and job creation, communities that want to consolidate services, tax reductions and a community grant program. The report also emphasizes reducing the amount of money spent on K-12 administration.

To pay for the bonds, the report says the lodging tax should be increased and that between $60 million and $100 million a year should be cut from state spending.

The reductions in state spending also would be applied to reducing property taxes, lowering the top income tax rate from 8.5 percent to 8 percent and expanding income tax brackets so a person could make more money before reaching the top rate.

A Maine Community Enhancement Fund, which would support reform in building codes and better planning tools for towns, would be paid for with a $20 increase in the deed transaction fee, generating between $5 million and $8 million per year.

“The thing that is most striking is the sense of optimism,” said Lincoln Jeffers, the assistant to the city administrator in Lewiston, who was at the presentation. “It’s that optimism, which I think Lewiston and Auburn have captured.”

According to Pat Finnigan, the city manager in Auburn, the report gives the cities and the state a blueprint for moving forward.

“It’s validated a lot of the things we’re committed to doing in Lewiston and Auburn,” Finnigan said. “We’ve focused on cooperation and growth in our center core and other designated areas.”

Brookings recommendations include two large, 10-year bond programs, which would allocate $390 million to land preservation, research and development and job creation, communities that want to consolidate services, tax reductions and a community grant program. The report also emphasizes reducing the amount of money spent on K-12 administration.

To pay for the bonds, the report says the lodging tax should be increased and that between $60 million and $100 million a year should be cut from state spending.

The reductions in state spending also would be applied to reducing property taxes, lowering the top income tax rate from 8.5 percent to 8 percent and expanding income tax brackets so a person could make more money before reaching the top rate.

A Maine Community Enhancement Fund, which would support reform in building codes and better planning tools for towns, would be paid for with a $20 increase in the deed transaction fee, generating between $5 million and $8 million per year.

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