State Budget proposal draws ire
Local officials respond
By Denise Duda

At first, the news out of Augusta about the biennial state budget sounded like a forecast for smooth sailing ahead. According to a press report released Saturday March 19th (forwarded from Senator Mark Bryant's office,) the Appropriations Committee had OK'd a balanced budget that was headed to the full Legislature for enactment by April 1st as planned.

"After days of cordial and productive negotiations, committee members and Democratic and Republican leadership finally agreed to disagree Thursday night, opening the way for final budget drafting by majority Democrats," the release stated. Speaker of the House, John Richardson even credited those across the aisle saying, "We worked closely with the Republicans and this is a better budget because of it."

With the passage in January of LD 1 by the Legislature, some property tax relief has been promised, adding to a projected $700 million gap between expected revenues and the cost of keeping existing services over a two year period. An additional $250 million in extra education funding needed to be included in the budget as well.

Budget development out of public eye

The final budget drafting started early on Friday with numerous amendments and continued into the wee hours of the morning Saturday. The finished budget had elements that left Republicans hopping mad and Democrats scrambling for damage control.

At the forefront of the initial controversy were several smaller proposals. One was a tax in the form of a permit sticker on all canoes and kayaks that are used in any Maine waters, streams, lakes etc. The other involved a study on fees for outdoor recreation such as hiking and bird watching.

Kayak and bird watching registration fees?

Appropriations Committee chair Senator Peggy Rotundo said of the unpopular fees and the budget in general that after all the complaints legislators have already received from their constituents, Rotundo expects the canoe and kayak fee proposal to eventually be stripped from the budget. She did however defend the idea behind the both the canoe/kayak permits and the bird watching/ hiking fee. "For many years hunters and fishermen have subsidized the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife," Rotundo said, "and resentment has been building."

She points out that the department also works on non-game issues, such as milfoil and threatened species of wildlife and milfoil, and that other outdoor enthusiasts aren't currently paying into services that benefit them. The fees would also provide funds for biologist and marine resources. Rotundo said that the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and the Maine Audubon Society had reached an agreement in support of the permits for non-consumptive users of the out-of-doors.

Sally Stockwell, Director of Conservation at the Maine Audubon Society, confirmed the society's support for the issue. "It involves the study of what other states are doing in this area," Stockwell said, referring to an outdoor access card. She added that the details are still being hammered out. Although the Audubon Society would not directly benefit from any of the fees, Stockwell said, "Our mission is to protect wildlife and wildlife habitat.

We work closely with Inland Fisheries and Wildlife on some projects and share the goal of protecting wildlife for the people and visitors of Maine."

Fees bad, stealth bond is worse, said Sen. Turner

Senator Karl Turner expressed his strong disapproval of the permit fees to The Monument, pointing out that the penalties associated with failure to comply with the sticker requirement would result in a $500 fine for a second offense and the third offense could result in jail time. "I personally find canoe and kayak fees objectionable even though I can readily afford them," Turner stated. "It's got a lot of Mainers upset- what they really should be upset about is a state government budget with a $447 million bond in it. This is a violation of the constitution. The Maine constitution is very specific. You can't borrow money to fund operating expenses. For an astute, adroit Maine citizen that is what should really make you outraged."

State employees to get raise

Senator Turner also cited the 6% raise for state employees that was added as an amendment on Friday, saying that the state contract is usually voted on as a stand alone issue. He objected to it being bundled into the budget saying, "The benefits for state employees are already ahead of most people. They enjoy not only the best in the state but also the country."

According to Appropriations Committee chair Peggy Rotundo, the pay raise was part of a negotiated settlement by the Governor's administration. "The implication has been that it was too high. The legislature doesn't have the authority to go back and change it at that point," Rotundo explained, adding that the contract could be voted down but not renegotiated. She said that the contract was included with the budget because, "To not include it would have meant that state workers wouldn't have gotten the benefits then by July 1st." The state employee pay raise would be retroactive to July 1st even if it was adopted after the April 1st date.

Senator Rotundo said about the bond issue that ongoing state retirement debt carried forward from Governor Longley's term, saying that promises were made and the state has to pay in every year. "We've been carrying debt and every year we pay off some," Rotundo said. "Because of borrowing we're able to pay off that debt more quickly and because of that are saving the taxpayers millions of dollars."

Despite controversy, collegial attitude evident, says Sen. Rotundo

She said that despite the current controversy, both Democrats and Republicans on the Appropriations Committee had worked well together. "After this we'll be pulling everyone back together. We will move forward, doing the work the people of Maine have sent us here to do."|

With some reservation, Senator Susan Austin agreed that there was good work being done on the committee saying, "We really have some capable people on the Appropriations Committee. Period. But our folks wanted to do more, to do some creative work to bring down the debt and they asked for a stay, to set a course, with a sunset date of three months. But there was no opening…no flicker of recognition that this might be a good idea."

Austin thought that all the concern over the canoe/kayak and bird watching fees was a blessing in disguise, causing people to become aware of the negative impacts in the entire budget. "The mere idea that it was considered proves the very point- just how bad the state is financially that they would go to this length to take more money from the people," Austin said.

Representative Mike Vaughan went a step further in an email to The Monument, calling for a veto of the budget by Governor Baldacci, referring to the Friday night budget marathon as "an abuse of power."

Also at issue is the provision that would approve "the hiring of four new permanent staff members for the State Senate, at cost of over $230,000 a year," Vaughan argues, "while the state still faces enormous fiscal challenges."

Representative Mark Bryant (D-Windham) was contacted several times for comment but he did not return phone call or emails. According to a Democratic press release, "It's a balanced budget in a difficult year," said House Democratic Leader Glenn Cummings. "We worked hard to reach an agreement, but our ultimate responsibility is to pass a budget which best serves the interests of Maine people."