By RANDY SEAVER, Editor
Despite some misinformation floating about on social media, the Biddeford City Council did not vote Tuesday against funding for emergency shelters to assist unhoused residents.
Instead, the council took up a resolution introduced by Mayor Liam LaFountain to express support for a bill now being considered by the Maine Legislature.
The bill – LD 2124 – would change how some county tax revenues are used. The proposed legislation calls for shifting revenue generated by real estate transfer taxes to a fund that could be used to help municipalities offset the cost of providing emergency services to unhoused residents.
Before debating the proposed resolution, the council heard testimony from Richard Dutremble of Biddeford, the current chair of the York County Commissioners.
“We are totally against this,” Dutremble told the council, saying the transfer of county revenues to the state’s coffers for new spending would ultimately hurt individual cities and towns in York County.
“This will decrease our revenue and impact our ability to provide services,” Dutremble told the council. “If this bill passes, it will have an immediate impact on our communities. We’ll have to make up that budget loss by asking for additional tax money from communities such as Biddeford.”
“Once again, people in Augusta are trying to extract more money from the counties,” Dutremble said, noting that the county does provide funding for unhoused services.
One of the bill’s co-sponsors is State Rep. Ryan Fecteau of Biddeford, the Speaker of the House.
City Councilor Dylan Doughty — Fecteau’s domestic partner — asked permission to abstain from discussion or voting on the issue because of what could be perceived as a conflict of interest.
Doughty’s recusal set the stage for a 4-4 split on whether to vote in support of the legislative resolution.
LaFountain told the council that the city’s legislative delegation – including State Representatives Marc Malon and Traci Gere, along with State Sen. Henry Ingwersen – are all supporting the bill.
LaFountain serves on a group known as the Mayors Coalition, an advocacy group made up of the state’s 11 mayors, including Saco Mayor Jodi MacPhail and the mayors of Portland, Lewiston, Westbrook, South Portland, Bangor and others.
That coalition, LaFountain said, is supporting the bill.
Following rigorous debate and questions about the bill’s potential impacts on county government and Biddeford taxpayers, the council split evenly on whether to approve the expression of support for LD 2124.
Councilors Roger Beaupre, Brad Cote, David Kurtz and Abigail Woods voted to support the legislative resolution.
Councilors Patricia Boston, Marc Lessard, Jacob Pierson and Lisa Vadnais voted against supporting the resolution.
Councilor Doughty abstained from voting.
By council rules, the mayor only votes when the council is tied.
LaFountain – who supported the resolution – said he felt compelled to vote against the measure since it did not receive a majority vote of the council.
“This is a strange position to be in,” the mayor laughed.
During a follow-up interview, the mayor said residents should contact their state representatives to express support or concerns about the bill.
NOTE: Contact information for Biddeford’s Legislative Delegation
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Randy Seaver is the editor and founder of the Biddeford Gazette. He has been covering Biddeford news and politics for nearly three decades. He may be reached by email: randy@randyseaver.com
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