News in brief MILFORD: TOWN BOARDS UNANIMOUSLY OPPOSE TABOR

The Board of Selectmen and school board have issued a joint statement unanimously opposing the statewide spending cap ballot initiative known as the Taxpayer Bill of Rights. “TABOR in general becomes a very cumbersome way to make changes for the community because of the whole voting process assigned with it,” Milford Town Manager Ruth Peters said Tuesday. TABOR is designed to limit increases in state and local government spending. Its formula uses the U.S. rate of inflation plus an area’s change in population to calculate the allowed increase. To override these limits is a two-step process: First, two-thirds of a legislative body (i.e. Legislature or town council) must approve. Then, a majority of voters must approve at the next general or special election. Town officials are opposed to the proposal because it would change the voting process used by the town for the last 175 years and takes away local control of municipal business. Peters added that the level of service residents are used to likely would be reduced. The full text of the TABOR legislation can be found at www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/pets02/legbillr.htm.