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What is CPI and how could that positively impact my tax bill? Read below and let us know by clicking on the comment button or emailing us at scarboroughtaxes@yahoo.com if you will contact town/school officials.
The CPI is the Key For Scarborough Taxes
An informed electorate can make a difference in Scarborough. Here is some information.
–The school budget went up 6.82% last year and 5% the previous year
–The taxes committed (billed) has increased 11.5% in the past three years.
–The town debt has gone up from $82,250,000 to $97,895,000 over the past three years, most of that due to school debt. That is an increase of 19.02%, and is now over $100,000,000.
–The Consumer Price Index (CPI) has gone up 1.9% for the past three years. That is the price you and I pay for goods and services. Last year’s average CPI for our area was 1.4%. Compare that to the town and school budgets! It’s a complicated Index that can be manipulated to take into account some things, but not others. Still the CPI is a good indicator of how much everything has gone up, except your income.
–Social Security raises have gone up between 1 and 2% for the past three years.
–Ms. Beeley, Ms. Perry and Mr. Caizzo have been on the school board for the past three years. All are up for reelection this November.
–Ms. Holbrook and Mr. Blaise have been on the town council for the past three years. Both are up for reelection this November.
–These people are the ones responsible for your steeply increased taxes over the past three years.
Now that you have this information, what can you do with it? Keep it simple. Do four things.
- Sit down today, right now, contact Ms. Beeley, Ms. Perry, Mr. Caizzo, Ms. Holbrook and Mr. Blaise. Copy all councilors and school board members. Ask them to keep any budget increases at the level of the CPI, or come very, very close. Tell them if they do not keep the upcoming budget at or very near the CPI average of 1.67%, someone else will be sitting in their chair after November elections. Please put a note on your calendar to look at the town budget and school budgets in June; then vote in June and November.
- Please cut out this article, keep it on your refrigerator as a reminder as the budget process evolves. Look at it often knowing these people are making decisions over which you have no control. They will present the budget in June.
- If the town and/or school board budget presented exceeds the CPI, or very, very close to it, please write another letter to them expressing your dissatisfaction.
4.If the town and/or school board budget presented exceeds the CPI, or very, very close to it, vote for anyone except these five people in November, even if you write in your own name.
1284 people voted for me as a school board write in candidate last November because I proposed we keep school budgets ‘reasonable’. I defined reasonable as near the CPI. I believe there are more of us that want the same thing. I am Michael B. Turek of Scarborough Maine Advocates for Reasonable Taxes (SMARTaxes). Please join me in keeping our property taxes as low as possible.
We need to hear from you. Many voices make for a strong voice.
Michael B. Turek
SMARTaxes
| Name | Position | Phone | |
| Jessica Holbrook | Town Council | 883-4138 | jholbrook@ci.scarborough.me.us |
| Jean Marie Caterina | Town Council | 274-0805 | jcaterina@ci.scarborough.me.us |
| Edward Blaise | Town Council | 885-5087 | eblaise@ci.scarborough.me.us |
| William Donovan | Town Council | 883-9168 | wdonovan@ci.scarborough.me.us |
| Shawn Babine | Town Council | 274-0805 | sbabine@ci.scarborough.me.us |
| Peter Hayes | Town Council | 730-3948 | phayes@ci.scarborough.me.us |
| Katherine St. Clair | Town Council | 885-5633 | kstclair@ci.scarborough.me.us |
| Email all town councilors: | scarboroughtowncouncil@googlegroups.com | ||
| Town mailing address: | P.O. Box 360 | Scarborough, ME 04070-0360 | |
| Christine Massengill | School Board | 885-1288 | cmassengill@scarborough.k12.me.us |
| Kelly Murphy | School Board | 883-9610 | kmurphy@scarborough.k12.me.us |
| Donna Beely | School Board | 883-3993 | dbeeley@scarborough.k12.me.us |
| Christopher Caizzo | School Board | 885-6482 | ccaiazzo@scarborough.k12.me.us |
| Jacquelyn Perry | School Board | 885-2451 | jperry@scarborough.k12.me.us |
| Jane Leng | School Board | 510-1270 | jleng@scarborough.k12.me.us |
| Jodi Shea | School Board | 883-1516 | jshea@scarborough.k12.me.us |
| Email all school board: | scarboroughboardofeducation@googlegroups.com | ||
| School mailing address | P.O. Box 370 | Scarborough, ME 04070-0370 | |
ScarboroughTaxes.com 
As you look to unseat me, and others, please know two things: 1. Every vote I cast has the welfare and education of our children in the forefront; 2. As you chastise your local officials, ask yourself “What have our legislators done for us lately?” Also, think about how your own children were educated; did you protest higher taxes in those days? Working for the Children of Scarborough. Jackie Perry
Granite counter top sin the new Wentworth School is what I’d call over spending. Please be a bit more frugal in the future.
Ms. Perry, thank you for your commitment to the students in your years on the School Board. SMARTaxes is suggesting that a more balanced approach between needs of the “Children of Scarborough” and the affordability to taxpayers is necessary. To provide and widely share information and analyses of Town and School finances and to advocate for tax rates that support excellent public education, provide quality public services and are affordable for all Scarborough residents is our mission statement.
i cannot find you on FB!
tom heels
https://www.facebook.com/groups/304638236398132/
Can you please provide a direct link to your facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/304638236398132/