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Tuesday, June 12, 2001
Panel wants county to play a bigger role
Copyright © 2001 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. | ||
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Cumberland County officials, tired of being overshadowed by state and local government, will release a strategic plan Wednesday that is intended to greatly expand the county's importance to voters. The report, officials say, will recommend that the county begin investigating a number of initiatives, including the feasibility of centralizing tax assessing for municipalities, having the county send out its own tax bill, and expanding the Cumberland County Jail. The report by a 70-member Strategic Planning Committee will be presented to the board of elected county commissioners for action. The ambitious recommendations are unusual in Maine, a state that values state and local control over regional solutions. But Cumberland County Manager Peter Crichton says county government should play a bigger role in the lives of voters. State, county and municipal governments, he said, are operating independently of each other in areas where there needs to be greater cooperation. "We need to do more with county government," he said, adding that he hopes the strategic plan will lead to a new way of incorporating county government into the lives of the voters. He said methods for implementing the report will range from administrative changes to action in the Legislature. The report also proposes creation of the Cumberland County Collaborative Leadership Forum to look at how municipal, county and state governments can work together to bring services to residents efficiently and cost-effectively. "Maine has a small bucket of money," said Crichton. "We need to look at how we can work together to bring down the costs of services to free up money for private investments." How the county manages its budget is of particular concern to voters across the county, many of whom saw a significant increase in their county tax assessment this year. Scarborough's county assessment went up $128,214, or 13.7 percent. Falmouth, whose 15.5 percent assessment increase was the highest in the county, will pay $103,364 more to the county. Portland's county assessment went up by $326,000 or 12.3 percent this year, an increase that was heavily criticized by the Portland City Council. Councilor Thomas Kane called it "taxation without representation," and proposed that the city withhold its $2.9 million contribution. Crichton said the county is looking to raise its accountability, and that sending out its own tax bill would give property owners a better idea of where their tax dollars are being spent. "I would venture that voters don't understand many of the issues that are driving our budget," he said. Centralization of the tax assessment process, he said, may also be a good way to cut costs in municipalities, especially rural communities. Many counties outside of New England, he said, operate that way. The Strategic Planning Committee was formed in January. The community leaders and citizens who participated were assigned to one of five subcommittees: corrections, space needs, regional cooperation, finance and technology. The strength of the report, said committee Chairman Donald Gerrish, Brunswick town manager, is that it is the result of a wide cross section of people. The report will be presented to the commissioners at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in Building 7 of Southern Maine Technical College, South Portland. Jen Fish can be contacted at 791-6329 or at: jenfish@pressherald.com
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