The question seems relatively harmless: “Do you approve the charter and consolidation agreement as recommended by the Lewiston Auburn Joint Charter Commission?”

We urge all residents to study the language carefully. The consequences of the vote are far from harmless. A “yes” vote would have negative ramifications for decades to come. For many reasons, we urge all residents to vote “no.”

Municipal consolidations, or mergers, are very rare in the United States. There have only been about ten such mergers out of some 90,000 local governments in the United States and Canada in the past 30 years. In some cases the municipalities have de-merged after acknowledging their mistakes.

There is an obvious reason why municipal consolidations are so rare: Bigger government, basically 100 percent of the time, results in higher overall taxes.

We estimate that there would be over $5 million in transition costs alone. Because of the different valuation rates of property in the two cities, Lewiston taxpayers would have to pay for an expensive revaluation — we estimate between $500,000 and $1 million in the next two years. Where does the Joint Charter Commission (JCC) propose that we are going to come up with that money?

Some 80 percent of local government budgets is related to labor costs associated with municipal union contracts. Consolidation would result in an “upward leveling” of union contracts: City unions would negotiate to the higher pay levels and benefit packages of whichever city is currently paying more. If the average teacher earns $45,000 in Lewiston, for example, and the average teacher in Auburn earns $40,000, the unions would obviously negotiate up to the higher $45,000 level.

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The JCC itself reports that these increased union costs would result in annual increases in spending of between $1.1 to $1.6 million per year. Their estimates do not include the cost of benefit packages. We believe that merging of union contracts would result in increased spending of well over $2 million per year — that is some $20 million over the next decade alone.

The same number of police officers would patrol the same number of neighborhoods. The same number of firefighters would protect the same number of homes and businesses. The same number of teachers would educate the same number of students. There would be no more or no less miles of roads for public works employees to maintain.

We believe that, to implement the level of cost savings projected by the JCC, the new city would be required to lay off dozens of municipal employees. Nobody is calling for such a significant reduction in city services.

The JCC and its political action committee “One LA” have not provided a single example of where a municipal merger has saved money. They cite Princeton, New Jersey, a smaller community (where the average value of homes is over $800,000) that merged a small borough with a small township several years ago. Taxes are higher in that municipality since it merged and there has not been a reduction in its labor force.

Consolidation would not make us stronger in Augusta. Because state legislative representation is based on population, we would have the same number of representatives in the State House. Nor would businesses make decisions to move here based on the removal of an imaginary boundary line along the Androscoggin River.

Space does not permit a full discussion here of the nightmare that would result from the complicated issue of dividing existing municipal debt. Under the JCC plan, each existing city would be responsible for any debt incurred as of the official date of merger on Jan. 1, 2020. Auburn would likely be required to take on the debt (over $26 million) associated with the construction of two (and possibly three) parking garages that Lewiston is obligated to construct as part of the Bates Mill redevelopment project. Lewiston would be required to pay off a higher amount of debt than Auburn over the next couple decades. There would be different tax rates associated with the retirement of existing debt for years to come, a situation that would certainly result in conflict as businesses and residents decide which side of the river upon which to locate.

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Lewiston and Auburn have worked well together on many issues over the years; but they are nonetheless two very different and distinct cities, with different histories and priorities. This is no more clear than in the operation of our two school systems. Auburn has a small neighborhood school system; Lewiston’s schools are bigger, with different needs and challenges. The Maine Department of Education does not believe that merger would delay construction of a new Edward Little High School, but Auburn Mayor Jonathan LaBonte disagrees.

The JCC proposes that the new city would come into existence in January 2020. It has made recommendations in its proposed consolidation agreement that would be implemented by some future unknown mayor and city council. We have no idea whether these unknown future elected officials would buy into the JCC’s plan. The JCC is asking residents to dissolve nearly two centuries of history based on “recommendations” that may — or may not — be implemented by some future unknown city council.

Ask yourself: Has this issue ever been a priority to you or anyone else you know in the general population of Lewiston and Auburn? Until the past few months, have you ever found yourself talking to your neighbors, friends, relatives, and co-workers about the urgency of consolidating Lewiston and Auburn? Of course not.

This issue was generated by a very small group of individuals associated with the Lewiston-Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce who have spent a large amount of money in an effort to convince you that this is a good idea. There has never been grassroots support for the merger of Lewiston and Auburn. This is a divisive issue that has been thrust upon an unwanting public, and has created nothing but anger and ill will. We have wasted so much time and energy on this debate when we should be focusing on continuing the great progress we have seen in the Twin Cities in recent years.

It is time to put this issue behind us. Vote “no” against municipal consolidation of Lewiston and Auburn on Nov. 7.

James Howaniec is chairman of the Coalition Opposed to Lewiston-Auburn Consolidation.


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