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Maine lawmakers propose costly compromise on property taxes

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Maine lawmakers propose costly compromise on property taxes


The top Democrat and Republican in the Maine Senate are backing a property tax relief compromise that may run into cost-related hurdles in a tight state budget environment.

The proposal from Senate President Mattie Daughtry, D-Brunswick, is sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Trey Stewart, R-Presque Isle, House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, D-Biddeford, and several other members from both parties. It would increase the maximum property tax fairness credit from $1,500 to $2,000 for taxpayers younger than 65 and from $2,000 to $2,500 for taxpayers 65 and older.

It would also establish a property tax relief task force with 13 voting members and at least two nonvoting members that would use data collected at the local, county, state and national levels and make recommendations by Dec. 15 on improving the property tax process and reducing Maine’s tax burden. That could include changing laws and the Maine Constitution, per the bill.

Lawmakers on Wednesday referred the bill to the Legislature’s tax committee, with a public hearing not yet scheduled and a fiscal note also not yet available. But while likely popular among Mainers, the $500 increase in the tax credit available to homeowners and renters who meet certain income limits may struggle to receive funding as Gov. Janet Mills and the Democratic-controlled Legislature debate how much spending to add to the $11.3 billion budget that left only about $127 million in unspent revenue through 2027.

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Still, the partnership between Daughtry and Stewart is notable after their two caucuses clashed and failed to reach agreement earlier this year on a short-term budget to fill a $118 million MaineCare shortfall. The cost of housing is one of Maine’s most pressing issues.

Democrats ended up passing another spending deal without GOP votes, and Mills has previously bickered with members of her own party over not signing bills she argued were too costly in a tight fiscal environment. Mills proposed a cigarette tax hike and cuts to various health and child care programs in January to close a projected $450 million shortfall through 2027.

Daughtry said Maine families “are getting squeezed harder every year by rising property taxes, and it’s time we hit pause and asked, why?”

“We need to dig into the root of this cycle — and break it,” Daughtry said in a statement. “Other states have found solutions that work, and it’s high time Maine did too. Taxpayers deserve both short-term help and a long-term fix.”

Lawmakers repealed in 2023 a popular but increasingly expensive property tax freeze program from Stewart and replaced it by boosting the property tax credit for older Mainers from $1,500 to $2,000 and expanding income and asset limits on a loan program in which the state covers property taxes for older or permanently disabled residents in need of help.

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Maine Municipal Association spokesperson Kate Dufour said although the group has not released its position on the new fairness credit bill, it has supported similar ideas in the past and also appreciates a task force including municipal officials as members.

“It is a good way to deliver property tax relief to those who need it the most, and without shifting burdens to other property taxpayers, as exemptions do,” Dufour said.

Members have put forward an array of other property tax relief bills this session, with no major breakthroughs amid lawmakers trying to adjourn by mid-June. One idea from Sen. Joe Baldacci, D-Bangor, who is also cosponsoring the proposed fairness credit increase, is a 2 percent annual cap on property tax assessment increases for residents 65 and older, but that and other proposals to boost the state’s homestead exemption all face uncertainty given the budget constraints.

But lawmakers said the budget should prioritize housing affordability in Maine. Baldacci said Wednesday he has supported or sponsored numerous property tax relief proposals because he has spoken with homeowners, especially older ones, who have “clearly communicated that this is one of the most important issues they face on making ends meet in this economy.”



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Maine

Police warn of scam targeting sex offenders in Maine

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Police warn of scam targeting sex offenders in Maine


A letter is being sent that asks registered sex offenders to email personal information

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Maine State Police

scam letter targeting sex offenders in maine

SOURCE: Maine State Police

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State Police warn of scam targeting sex offenders in Maine

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A letter is being sent that asks registered sex offenders to email personal information

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Updated: 11:10 AM EDT Apr 8, 2026

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Maine State Police is warning of a scam that is targeting sex offenders in the state.The issue was brought to those who run the Sex Offender Registry that the scam is targeting registered people on probation in Maine. A letter is being mailed to people, claiming to be from the ‘Maine Probation Tonduary.’ The letter claims there has been a data migration error in the Records Management System and the registrant needs to email personal identifying information (PII) to an email address listed on the letter. Police say neither the Maine Sex Offender Registry nor the Maine Department of Corrections would ever send such a letter asking a person to send sensitive information in this format. If you have received such a letter, you should not email your information to the address on the letter. Instead, report it to the Maine Sex Offender Registry at 207-624-7270 or local law enforcement.

Maine State Police is warning of a scam that is targeting sex offenders in the state.

The issue was brought to those who run the Sex Offender Registry that the scam is targeting registered people on probation in Maine.

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A letter is being mailed to people, claiming to be from the ‘Maine Probation Tonduary.’ The letter claims there has been a data migration error in the Records Management System and the registrant needs to email personal identifying information (PII) to an email address listed on the letter.

scam letter targeting sex offenders in maine

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Police say neither the Maine Sex Offender Registry nor the Maine Department of Corrections would ever send such a letter asking a person to send sensitive information in this format. If you have received such a letter, you should not email your information to the address on the letter. Instead, report it to the Maine Sex Offender Registry at 207-624-7270 or local law enforcement.

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Maine

2026 Primary Election

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2026 Primary Election


Voting is the cornerstone of democracy, and in 2026 Mainers will have a lot of important decisions to make when casting their ballots — from the very top of the ticket to the bottom. On June 9, Mainers will participate in the state’s semi-open party primaries, choosing Democratic and Republican nominees for governor, as well […]



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Maine

Regular gas tops $4, premium over $5 in Maine amid severe Trump Iran threats

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Regular gas tops , premium over  in Maine amid severe Trump Iran threats


Brady Chapman fills up one of four trucks he uses for his business Wednesday at Irving Gas Station in Bethel. Regular gas was $4.09 at the station. (Rose Lincoln/Staff Writer)

Maine’s average price for regular gasoline rose to its highest point since August 2022, as the conflict in Iran continues to drive up global oil costs.

A gallon of regular gas averaged $4.03 here Tuesday, ticking up more than 6 cents overnight, according to data aggregated by motor club AAA. That price has risen 38.5% — about $1.12 — since Feb. 28, when the United States and Israel struck Iran, triggering a conflict that has since spilled into the broader Middle East.

Maine’s average price crossed the $4 threshold a week after the national average did so. The national average was up to $4.14 Tuesday, AAA data shows.

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Premium gas was up to $5.07 per gallon in Maine, topping $5 for the first time in nearly four years. Diesel, meanwhile, averaged about $5.90 per gallon Tuesday.

Collectively, those figures mark the state’s highest average gas prices since the summer of 2022, when the Russian invasion of Ukraine drove gas prices to record highs. A gallon of regular gas peaked at $5.09 that June, the highest ever recorded by AAA.

This week, Maine’s prices were the 21st highest among the 50 states and Washington, D.C., according to AAA. California, Hawaii, Washington, Nevada and Oregon all saw average prices above $5 per gallon Tuesday.

This is a developing story.

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