$105 million transportation bond goes to voters; three others fail

Photo / Maureen Milliken The Maine state Legislature Monday passed a $105 million transportation bond, which will go on the November ballot, but didn't approve another $63 million in bonding proposed by Gov. Janet Mills.

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By Staff

A $105 million transportation bond will go before voters in November, but in a special session Monday, the Legislature failed to pass bonds that would have increased broadband access, address environmental goals and expand career and technical training.

Each of the four items in the $163 million bond proposal needed a two-thirds vote of the Legislature to go on November's ballot. The $8 billion biennial budget passed in June had anticipated as much as $300 million in bond debt. The current package was revised from Gov. Janet Mills initial proposal of $239 million.

The transportation bond passed 32-0 in the Senate and 127-8 in the House. The funding will be used to upgrade roads, bridges, ports, rail and air transportation, as well as to repair culverts and restore a commercial fishing wharf. The bonding will draw an estimated $137 million in matching federal and other additional funds.

The votes to reject were largely along party lines, with Democrats favoring the bonding, which they said would help boost the state's economy, was included in the budget and and would draw matching federal money. Republicans argued that, aside from the transportation bond, there was no emergency need for getting the proposals passed and that they could wait until the second session starting in January.

While Democrats are the majority party in both houses, Republicans were able to block passage because a two-thirds vote is required.

State Treasurer Henry Beck, before Monday's vote, urged legislators to pass the package, saying rates are favorable. "If voters approve, we will then have the option of going to market under the right conditions," he said in a news release. "There is no requirement that the treasurer sell bonds only in the month of June. This is an issuer’s market and we should not assume market conditions will improve between now and an unknown distant date.“

Details of the three rejected packages are below.

Land conservation: $20 million

$20 million for the Land for Maine’s Future program, which would have been dispersed over two years to preserve farmland, working waterfronts and other natural resources; the program has not been funded in eight years, but draws significant matching funds, state officials have said.

Infrastructure and economic development: $23 million

$15 million to expand high speed internet access in rural Maine, which would have drawn a 3-to-1 match in federal and private funding;

$4 million for capital equipment for career and technical education centers;

$4 million to restore and modernize National Guard facilities across the state, with an expected 50-50 match.

Environmental protection and efficiency: $15 million

$5 million to improve wastewater infrastructure at the municipal level to prevent and control pollution, drawing down 150% or more in matching funds;

$5 million to support remediation efforts through the Department of Environmental Protection at uncontrolled hazardous sites across the state;

$5 million for the Heating Fuels Efficiency and Weatherization Fund to provide low-interest loans for energy efficiency projects, including heat pumps for residential homeowners.