“Maine home sales and prices shoot up in January.” (Feb. 21)
Median price of Maine home sales, January 2019: $200,000.
Median price of Maine home sales, January 2020: $220,900.
Year-over-year increase in median home sale price: 10.45 percent.
Wage necessary for full-time worker in Maine to afford the average one-bedroom apartment: Nearly $16 an hour.
Average renter’s wage in Maine, 2019: Less than $12 an hour.
Number of affordable housing units in Maine: 13,824.
Number of Maine households on waiting list for affordable housing: Nearly 33,000.
Number of new units built each year: About 250.
Funding for housing passed last month by legislators: $80 million in tax credits.
“Report questions effectiveness of Maine tax incentive programs.” (Feb. 14)
Amount of property taxes forgiven by the state Business Equipment Tax Exemption program, fiscal year 2018: $58.5 million.
Amount reimbursed by the state to municipalities: 61 percent.
Loss to municipalities: $22.8 million.
Portion of program administration costs returned to municipalities: 10 percent.
Amount of property taxes reimbursed by state Business Equipment Tax Reimbursement program, same period: $29.1 million.
Average BETR reimbursement of top 8 percent of beneficiaries: $202,604.
Average BETR reimbursement of bottom 92 percent of beneficiaries: $5,611.
Impact of programs on capital investment, according to Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability: “Likely marginal.”
“Maine proposal to help homeless students graduate moves on.” (Feb. 23)
Maine’s overall high school graduation rate, 2018: 86.8 percent.
Graduation rate for homeless students: 57.7 percent.
Graduation rate for students in foster care: 56 percent.
Number of homeless youth in Maine, 2017: 2,515.
Increase in homeless youth, 2014-17: 30 percent.
Number of Maine children in foster care: Approximately 1,900.
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