A nonpartisan state committee is expected to increase Maine’s general fund revenue forecast for the next two years by approximately $202.2 million, the state announced Monday.

The Revenue Forecasting Committee also recognized an additional $247.9 million in one-time money for the current fiscal year, the Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services said in a statement.

But the revenue adjustments follow a recent report from the department projecting a $636.7 million structural budget gap between revenues and expenses over the next two years, and Gov. Janet Mills is warning that the next state budget “is going to be tight.”

The additional money for this fiscal year is the result of a delay in revenue collections due to the extensions of tax return filing dates by the IRS and Maine Revenue Service following last winter’s extreme storms, as well as significant interest earnings in the state’s cash pool.

Even with the increases, the updated forecast represents a leveling off of revenues after years of rapid growth immediately following the COVID-19 pandemic, and it underscores prior warnings from Mills that revenues are flattening and budgeting should be done responsibly, the department said.

Maine’s constitution requires a balanced budget, which means the projected revenue adjustments and structural gap considerations will prompt the governor to submit a supplemental budget for the 2025 fiscal year, along with a biennial budget proposal for 2026 and 2027, when the Legislature convenes in January.

“These projected revenues should not be seen as an opportunity for significant new spending,” Mills said in a statement. “As my administration has consistently warned, this next budget is going to be tight, and rather than create new programs, these revenues should be used to meet our existing obligations, like 55% of education, municipal revenue sharing, and health care.

“Come January, I intend to introduce a lean budget proposal that will honor these existing commitments to the greatest extent possible, with any new investments seriously limited.”

Maine experienced significant revenue growth during the pandemic, but general fund revenues have since plateaued and grown at a more limited and modest rate when compared to growth during the pandemic.

“Our administration has been warning that revenues are flattening and that the Legislature must take a cautious approach to spending, which is why the governor had proposed saving more than $100 million during the last session,” said Kirsten Figueroa, commissioner of the Department of Administrative and Financial Services.

“While the Legislature didn’t agree with that proposal, the budgetary pressures still exist – programs continue to cost money while revenues are leveling off. Lawmakers will need to contend with this fact, and we hope they agree with us that the priority should be to continue funding the programs they previously approved rather than trying to create more. This approach will be crucial to the long-term stability of the budget.”

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The intersection of Routes 11 and 85, Webbs Mills in Casco, is one of several intersections in the Lakes Region that will receive temporary traffic-calming measures in 2025. Rory Sweeting / Lakes Region Weekly

The Lakes Region towns of Gray, Casco and Sebago will install temporary traffic-calming measures next year as part of a wider initiative to curb vehicle crashes in Maine.

These installations, which will last from June to October, allow planners to test out potential safety measures in the real world, and are part of the wider Vision Zero effort. In development for about a year, Vision Zero is focused on reducing fatalities and serious injuries on Maine’s roadways, with the ultimate goal of eliminating them entirely by 2045.

The Greater Portland Council of Governments has completed two plans as part of this effort. One of these plans is specifically designed for the city of Portland and its surrounding suburbs, while the other, tailored towards rural and island communities, is the basis behind the upcoming Lakes Region projects.

According to GPCOG Transportation Director Christopher Chop, the new projects are among several traffic-calming demonstration projects that have been implemented throughout the Portland area and some of the surrounding area. Within the Lakes Region, the Bicycle Coalition of Maine previously worked with Gray to install advisory bike lanes as a way to indicate that a street is designed for all modes of transportation.

These pilot projects, both in the urban area and the Lakes Region, will help GPCOG collect data to inform decisions on the most effective measures. Should the measures prove successful, GPCOG plans to replicate them elsewhere. However, if the measures are unsuccessful, Chop hopes that they can understand the reasons why (for example, if they used the wrong tool for the wrong area, or if there were maintenance issues) and avoid them in future projects. These measures, Chop noted, not only make travel safer for cyclists and pedestrians, but for everyone just by slowing traffic down.

The Lakes Region project costs $100,000, funded by a grant from the United States Department of Transportation. Chop said that the temporary measures provide a low-cost opportunity to test out different treatments, as opposed to the more expensive prospect of immediately installing permanent infrastructure. If successful, the GPCOG could look to provide permanent infrastructure to make the region safer.

“In the long run,” Chop said, “the Greater Portland Council of Governments and the Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System … both are very committed to the Vision Zero effort, and there’s a number of different strategies to make our roads safer for all transportation users.”

Public reception to the traffic-calming measures has been mixed. While the measures were only recently made public in Gray, Town Manager Michael Foley noted that over the years, many residents have been pushing for safety improvements, and that they will be designed and shared with the public before being put into place. In Casco, Town Manager Anthony Ward said that while some in the town are very supportive of the measures, others are a little more hesitant because a previous traffic-calming effort was not well received.

However, Ward remained optimistic and said, “There was some hesitation about (the measures), but I think the vast majority will support (them).”

Ward also noted that since most of the roads in Casco where the temporary measures will be implemented are state highways, full implementation would take place in conjunction with the Maine Department of Transportation.

The efforts in Gray will focus on the area of Gray Village where three state highways converge, and will likely involve West Gray Road, Portland Road, Yarmouth Road, Main Street, Shaker Road and Brown Street. While Casco has not finalized the areas in which the measures will be implemented, it also plans to focus around the village, with some of the proposed areas including Pike Corner, Webbs Mills, and Cook Mills. Sebago will see measures implemented in East Sebago Village, Mac’s Corner, and a 2-mile section of Route 11 connecting the two areas.

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BANGOR, Maine (WABI) – One local organization is looking to improve the holidays for hundreds of veterans in the Greater Bangor area

The Maine Veterans Project hosted their Thanksgiving distribution event this morning from 8am until 12pm at their office in Bangor.

Any veteran in the Greater Bangor area was welcome to stop by and get some food for free to help feed them and their families this Thanksgiving.

Meals were also delivered to those who couldn’t make it to the event in person.

Over 200 large bags of non-perishable food were available as well as turkeys, milk, eggs, burgers, and bacon.

They also had some cold weather gear available to those who needed it including jackets, socks, and gloves.

Hermon elementary school students also made some heartwarming cards for the veterans who would be picking up food at the event.

Maine Veterans Project vice president Anthony Murano said their goal was just to help as many veterans as they could.

“As you can see we do have a lot of moving parts going on out here. Today is our Thanksgiving distribution event, and the goal of today is to feed as many veteran’s families as we possibly can for the Thanksgiving season. We do have a small food pantry that we do keep stocked throughout the year, so if we have any vets that are looking for a little food assistance, we can help in that aspect,” said Murano.

Maine Veterans Project partnered with several local businesses and organizations to help make this event possible including Evan’s Veterans Project and the Not Your Average Nurses Foundation.

And for more information on everything that the Maine Veterans Project does, you can visit maineveteransproject.org or check them out on Facebook.

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