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11/4/09
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Question 6 Residents favor transportation bond
BANGOR, Maine — Voters in Maine supported a $71 million transportation bond nearly 2-to-1, according to unofficial voting results compiled by the Bangor Daily News.
With 87 percent of precincts reporting, more than 65 percent of voters said yes to Question 6.
Transportation Commissioner David Cole said he was pleased with the voter support.
“Even in these tough economic times I think Maine people recognize the value of investing in our roads and bridges, in our rail ports and our entire transportation system,” said Cole. “Our economy is dependent on this transportation system. In order to be competitive we have to have a safe and efficient system.”
Maria Fuentes, executive director of the Maine Better Transportation Association, was encouraged earlier in the evening with how widespread backing for the bond appeared.
“So far we are seeing that there is support both in rural and urban parts of Maine,” she said. “This year people are very anxious about the economy, but Maine people have been pretty consistent about supporting transportation bonds.”
Voters have supported every transportation bond proposed in Maine dating back at least 40 years, she said.
The bond will invest more than $71 million in the state’s transportation infrastructure. About $55 million of the bond will pour into the Department of Transportation’s capital project budget for the next two years, leveraging another $110 million in federal funding.
The rest of the bond money will fund a variety of specific projects ranging from a bulk-cargo handling system at the Eastport port to $2.6 million for improvements at airports, including Brunswick Naval Air Station, which is scheduled for closure in 2011.
The borrowing will cost taxpayers another $19.6 million in interest for a 10-year note at 5 percent interest. Question 6 was the first of three bond packages that Mainers will be asked to approve. In June and November of 2010, voters will decide on the rest of a $150 million package passed by the Legislature in June.
The overall $637 million capital project plan includes 125 bridge projects, 228 miles of long-life paving and 34 miles of highway reconstruction.
Voters at the polls in Pittsfield on Tuesday had mixed feelings about the bond. Frank Tolman, a self-employed salesman, said he voted against it even though he knew it would probably pass.
“There are going to be enough people who don’t pay taxes voting in favor of it,” he said. “If they’re not making jobs with this money, what’s the sense of rebuilding the roads? They’re just creating work. They’re not creating meaningful jobs.”
Fuentes said bonds such as this one create both short- and long-term jobs.
“It certainly creates some construction jobs that pay a very livable wage,” she said. “And investing in transportation creates opportunities for businesses to move their products more efficiently. Anything we can do to shave off transportation time or move goods more efficiently is a long-term benefit.”
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Congratulations to those who voted for the passage of this bond. You have helped the state raise taxes.
No S*(&%. Non of this is free money. why don't people get it. I understand that we need to have a working infrastructure. We are already up to our eyeballs in debt. this is not going to help at all. People here"Federal funds" and start to drool. I think many were drooling in the voting booths
I really hope this money go's to repairing the roads and not for some very important but meaningless STUDY!when all that it do'es is give a bunch of suits a job that dont have a clue. if the road is full of pot holes , fix it right 1 time and it will last
You will raise the taxes of all of us, this is a lone and nothing else. Too bad some do not get the poicture.
Does this mean that the county will get some of those funds to fix their roads or will it all be spent in Lewiston Auburn and Portland areas? Anyone?????
this is a tax bill that is all it is
Sorry safedman this money goes to the other state Maine however we get the bill.
Maineboy is right...the other Maine gets it.......Schoonerdog is right also..maine voters just put another hand in their wallet as we have to pay the interest and principal on these bonds...
Thank you for raising my taxes....what will this be used for re-paving I-295 again?
ARRRRGH!!! Why do we love taxes so much here? Please Mr. Baldacci, would you take all my money and just give me what you think I need and take care of me and make me happy! ARRRRGH!!!
I agree - what is wrong with our voters? All we do is spend, and shoot down any hope in heck of lowering or stabilizing taxes! It must be that it's a mostly democratic state and they control the funding for "education" on all the bond issues and such. If we see mostly ads supporting this spending, we're probably going to buy into it more than if we saw mostly ads from the opposition stating why it's a bad idea to take an economically depressed state and throw it deeper into the red.
Brunswich Naval Air to close in 2011, makes sence to poor millions of dollars into that? Just goes to show people really don't care about government spending.
SHOW US RESULTS!! CREATE JOBS & GET THE JOBS DONE. BALDACCI KEEP YOUR HANDS OUT OF IT!! THIS IS NOT FOR YOUR WELFARE PROGRAMS!!!
Mainers recognise that maintaining roads and highways is important and that you have to spend money to do that.
All you anti tax and TABOR supporters wanted a way for residents to vote on spending increases didn't you? Well you got what you asked for but now you're whining 'cause it didn't go your way did it?
As for the North vs South bit. Are you all so naive to think that the state is going to play Robin Hood and take money from the taxpayers in the more populated and affluent part of the state and spend it disproportionately elsewhere?
Mainers SHOULD recognize that maintaining roads and highways is important IF you have the MONEY to do it. We do NOT, which is why you just voted to BORROW it. Money should only be borrowed by governments IF it will be used for a project that will generate ongoing tax revenue sufficient to PAY THE LOAN BACK! This is not complicated and every person who responsibly runs a household understands the premise.
Amazing, TABOR is defeated, we defeat the excise tax but yet we still approve a bond package that will, you guessed it, ultimately raise taxes.
...and people wonder why our state is in the "state" that it is in!
iminmaine-no we certainly don't think that the state will take money from the more populated and affluent part of the state and spend it disproportionately elsewhere, what they do is take money from northern Maine and spend it disproportionately in southern Maine.
Problem is half the voters don't really understand what a bond is - thinking its free money - $20 million in interest people - who is paying that??? We are!!!
well, let's see if my road gets fixed properly anytime soon. oh yeah, it's a town road so probably not.
So, why is money being dumped in to BNAS when it's going to close in 2 years? What a great way to spent our BORROWED money!!
Also, what's wrong up in Eastport? Last time I was there the roads were in decent shape....this spring.
How much of this money is going to be used in eastern Hancock/western Wash counties for road repair? Not much to none as usual, while we get to pay for decent roads in the more prominent parts of the state. What does get fixed isn't in bad shape. A few years back the South Princeton road was repaved when there are a lot worse roads in the area left untouched.
And why is it.... with all of the effin' taxes we pay in this state, the high road taxes on fuel etc do we need to BORROW money to maintain our roads? Oh, I forgot.... DOT sends 12 people to do a 6 person job.
Yah!!!! More taxes...woot woot.
As i said, Maine has never seen a bond issue that it didnt like.
Hey. We're broke. Let's borrow. It's the American way.
This State needs an enema.
Flush out the flatlanders.