
A view of the Scarborough Marsh from Blue Point Preserve. The preserve was purchased with help of the town’s land acquisition fund. Drew Johnson / Leader
Scarborough voters will be asked on Nov. 5 whether to authorize spending $6 million to replenish the town’s land acquisition fund.
The fund is used to help purchase land for conservation, to provide recreation or to protect wildlife habitat. Those looking to conserve land, from nonprofits like the Scarborough Land Trust to individual residents, can apply to use money from the fund to aid in their purchases. The town’s Parks and Conservation Land Board vets the applications and provides a recommendation to the Town Council. The council then votes whether to expend the money from the fund toward the purchase.
It is difficult to calculate the tax impact of the $6 million bond order as the funds aren’t all expelled at once. However, the town estimates that if the $6 million was spent over the next three years, the owner of a home assessed at $600,000 would pay an average of $21 per year in property taxes for the first 10 years of the bond. That would drop off to an average of $14 in the years after.
The fund was created in 2000 when nearly 75% of voters approved it with a starting balance of $1.5 million. It was replenished in 2003 with $2.5 million with 71.1% of voters in favor, in 2009 with $1 million and 67.6% of voters in favor and in 2019 with $2.5 million and 57.9% of voters in favor.
Since 2000, the fund has aided in over a dozen acquisitions, such as Broadturn Farm, Fuller Farm, Warren Woods, Blue Point Preserve and Pleasant Hill Preserve. The majority of the purchases have been helmed by the Scarborough Land Trust.
“Blue Point Preserve is a perfect example of the conservation partnerships the land bond encourages with outside organizations,” said Betsy Barrett, a member of the Yes on 3 Scarborough coalition that supports the bond and former treasurer of Friends of Scarborough Marsh. “This land was purchased thanks to a land bond grant and funding from Friends of Scarborough Marsh, Blue Point Congregational Church of Christ and individual donors.”
The fund is key when it comes to protecting land around the marsh, Barrett said.
“It is critical to conserve land around the fringes (of the marsh) so it can migrate and rebuild itself as the sea level rises,” she explained.
Members of a group Scarborough Maine Advocates for Reasonable Taxes, or SMARTaxes, oppose the bond. Members Susan Hamill and Steve Hanly said they appreciate the need to conserve land but don’t think the fund is the best – or most fair – method.
“A bond forces all taxpayers to contribute even though some may prefer to support other causes,” Hamill said, and that is especially true when that money is going to a nonprofit like the land trust. “We believe charitable giving should be a personal choice, not funded through taxes. Most Maine land trusts rely on private donations and we think Scarborough’s should do the same.”
Proponents have argued that conservation is a great way to combat development, but SMARTaxes is skeptical.
“Many residents are extremely frustrated with the town’s recent rapid growth,” Hanly said. “While conservation may seem like an antidote, it’s just not financially practical to use tax dollars to buy up a meaningful amount of developable land.”
They believe the town should be combating development and promoting conservation in other ways, such as “enacting ordinances that value conservation over growth.”
They also worry that because the council gets the final approval on expending the funds, it could come in a contentious vote.
“This approval could come on a 4-3 vote of the Town Council with no voter referendum on the land purchase,” Hanly said. “We would much prefer to see direct voter consideration of specific major land purchases.”
However, Christine Labaree, a land trust board member and volunteer chair of Yes on 3, says the fund can help the town keep up with development.
“The town surveyed residents a year ago and asked what they thought were the biggest issues facing Scarborough. 77% said it was the pace of community growth and expansion,” Labaree said. “The land bond allows Scarborough to continue preserving natural areas and other important sites for the benefit of all our residents for years to come.”
The fund allows the town, land trust and other entities to move quickly, which is critical, Labaree said.
“The town needs to be able to act quickly on parcels it wants to conserve because once this land is lost to development, it’s gone forever,” Labaree said.
“We don’t get a second chance,” Barrett added.
For more information on the land bond and voting in Scarborough, go to scarboroughmaine.org and navigate to the Voting and Elections page. For more information on the Yes on 3 Scarborough campaign and their argument, go to yeson3scarborough.com. For more information on SMARTaxes and their argument, go to smartaxes.weebly.com.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
We invite you to add your comments. We encourage a thoughtful exchange of ideas and information on this website. By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is found on our FAQs. You can modify your screen name here.
Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday as well as limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve.
Join the Conversation
Please sign into your Press Herald account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe. Questions? Please see our FAQs.