Fellow Citizens, Neighbors and Friends,

Mainers have long been associated with traditional Yankee values of ingenuity, thrift, and common sense. In this spirit I thought it might be helpful to delve into some aspects about the budget and taxes. This year is both atypical and typical for the Scarborough budget. We have faced and will continue to face daunting challenges from the COVID-19 crisis including many municipal and school operational changes. There are ongoing threats to our health and economic security with business closures and cutbacks and record unemployment rates. Other issues are more familiar which we face year after year. They include sources and levels of revenues (state revenues, excise taxes, permits, etc.) and how to balance our spending for schools and town needs.

As of June 9, 2020, the Council is looking at an overall budget with an estimated 1.16% mil rate increase. Please note work is still being done and the final budget will be voted on by Town Council at second reading on June 24th. Here are where things stand for FY21 as compared to FY20. 

• Municipal spending increase of 1%
• School spending increase of 3.3% (not including nutrition and adult learning)
• Net municipal decrease of -0.6% after applying non-property tax revenues and contingency fund balance 
• Net school increase of +1.8% after applying state school share, revenues, and contingency fund balance 
• New town borrowing of $4,095,000 / $10,000 to be paid in FY21
• New school borrowing of $2,769,212 / $618,015 to be paid in FY21

For those who want the budget lower, it may be important to know that non-property tax revenue overall will be down due to the COVID crisis and the economic fallout. Exactly how much is unknown at this time, but all municipalities are factoring in revenue reductions which have a large bottom line impact on mil rate. Without expected revenue reductions, we would be looking at a mil rate decrease as of the June 9 budget review.

For those who want the budget higher, it may be important to know the median tax increase due to the town wide revaluation was over 11% for Scarborough home owners in 2019 and more than 60% percent of Scarborough residents saw their taxes increase by at least 10%, and many by 20%, 30%, or even more in one fell swoop. The reval tax increases largely fell on property values at the lower end of the range, and businesses were also affected greatly. Let's look at one actual example of many:

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Life is really hard these days. I am worried about the path that we, as humans, are on today. One of my biggest worries is our inability to communicate or even try to understand another person or group's point of view. I think there are a lot of people that are hurting. Some are sad, some are confused, some are angry, some may not even know what their emotions are or mean. Our communications these days seem to be limited to loudly and forcefully asserting why my opinion is superior to yours. I certainly don't have the answers but I feel like our only path out of this is to have real conversations, where we listen and try to understand. That has to start one conversation at a time. I want to help start those conversations. If you would like to join me I would like to make myself and our community resource supervisor available to talk about your thoughts, concerns, and questions. I know that a police station can be an intimidating place or a space that feels unsafe to some but we are very fortunate to have our new facility located right adjacent to Memorial Park. If you would prefer some fresh air and exercise we would be happy to walk and talk in the park. Sgt. Steve Thibodeau and I can both be reached through dispatch at 883-6361 or through our emails at sthibodeau@scarboroughmaine.org or rmoulton@scarboroughmaine.org.

Let's work toward understanding, one conversation at a time.

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At this time of year many of you are eagerly awaiting the Friends of the Scarborough Library Book Sale. You have donated books, marked your calendars and made ready a list of favorites you hope to find at the sale. Our volunteers have sorted thousands of books and they are packed and ready to go. Unfortunately, in mid-March everything came to a screeching halt because of the pandemic. Sadly, the Friends will not be having a book sale this year.

We are all disappointed especially the many volunteers who generously give their time and energy to make the sale run smoothly. Each year I am amazed at the cooperation and community spirit of so many people. We could not have a successful sale without the assistance of the Public Schools and high school students, Department of Public Works, Community Services, the Library staff, members of the Friends and most importantly YOU the people of Scarborough who support the sale.

In spite of our disappointment we will plan a book sale next year. In the meantime, please take advantage of the Scarborough Library. The staff continue to work hard to bring as many services as possible to all of us. The Library web page is a gold mine of information.
One last request, please do not bring donations to the Library until further notice. We will let everyone know when the library can take them. If necessary, we ask you to donate them to other area charities.

Thank you all for your continued support of the Friends of the Scarborough Library.

Summer Reading at the Scarborough Public Library has begun! This summer there are TWO fun ways to participate:

Option 1: Use our paper reading log, to keep track of books you've finished reading to yourself, books someone's ready to you; or books you've read to someone else. Beginning the week of Monday, June 15, reading logs will be available at Community Services in Town Hall, Oak Hill Hardware, and via curbside pickup at the Library.

Option 2: On the go this summer? Why not try our digital summer reading platform called Beanstack. Download the free Beanstack app on either Apple or Android devices to get started.

At the Scarborough Public Library, we strongly believe that reading during summer should be enjoyable. We encourage parents to help children set a realistic goal. A feeling of "I Can Do It' creates an atmosphere of celebration...and fun! We want children to LOVE reading, and look forward to visiting the Scarborough Public Library. For more information on how the reading program works, check out our FAQs. 

Special thanks to the Friends of Scarborough Library for being our awesome Summer Reading Program sponsors.

As if we weren't already stressed enough during this time of COVID-19, we wanted residents to be aware that we have had an increase in people being notified that an unemployment claim has been falsely submitted in their name.  Please be extra vigilant in checking all of your accounts for any unusual activity.

If you believe that your identity has been compromised, you should contact the law enforcement department in the jurisdiction that you live in and make an identity theft report.  

You can view an Unemployment Fraud and Identity Theft Poster and additional information on the State of Maine website.

Welcome to the official newsletter of the Town of Scarborough, Maine.  Brought to you by a team of Town staff, our mission is to keep you informed about town events and activities.  

Please note that the newsletter articles are intended to be brief and will often point you back to a link on the Town's Website or Facebook page. The website is the heart of the communication network within town and is the central repository for information on Town government.

Thanks for reading!  If you have ideas for stories, please email us.  

Your newsletter team:

Tody Justice, Town Clerk	Lucy Norvell, Public Library
Stephen Kramer, Community Services	Donald Begin, IT
Heidi McNinch, Human Resources	Brian Longstaff, Codes & Planning
Kelly Johnston, Scarborough Public Schools	Michael Thurlow, Fire Department
Kim Sperlich, Police Department	Ruth Porter, Finance
Leona Oceania, Public Works	Larissa Crockett, Administration
Magdalena Slawiec, SEDCO