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Sunday, September 7 2025

The Rich Got a Break. Working People Got the Bill. It’s time to Re-Balance the Books.

You may have heard by now that Portland just completed a citywide property revaluation, and new tax bills will be arriving in mailboxes any day now. Residential property values went up by an average of 43% while commercial rates rose only 19%. The mil rate (the tax rate per one thousand dollars of assessed value) has been lowered to $11.98, but that doesn’t mean your bill will go down, especially if your property value jumped significantly.

For many households, this will mean a higher cost of living in a city that’s already difficult to afford. It raises serious questions about tax fairness, economic stability, and how we protect long-term residents from being priced out of Portland.

And it speaks to the core of what’s broken in American politics.

For decades, the Democratic Party has told working people that the only way to fund public services is to raise taxes on the middle class, while avoiding real fights with the wealthy and powerful. Meanwhile, the Republican Party has slashed taxes for billionaires and corporations and paid for it by cutting the programs working families rely on.

I believe we can do better in Portland. We can tax those who can afford it, and use that revenue to help everyone: renters, working-class homeowners, seniors, and low-income families just trying to stay housed.

That’s why I’ve been advocating for the Finance Committee to expand the Portland Senior Tax Equity Program (P‑STEP). At our upcoming meeting on Wednesday, September 11, the committee will begin formal discussions about how we can do that responsibly, effectively, and equitably.

What Is P‑STEP?

P‑STEP is a local rebate program that supplements the Maine Property Tax Fairness Credit. It was originally created to help low-income seniors stay in their homes as costs rose around them. Since then, more and more seniors are using the program, but today the need goes far beyond this one age group.

What’s Being Proposed?

I’m asking the City to expand P‑STEP eligibility to all income-qualified residents—not just seniors—and to do so gradually over the next five years by:

• Lowering the age threshold each year, until it’s fully removed in FY31.
• Continuing to include renters and expand outreach to them, so they know how to access their rebate.
• Keeping the program revenue-neutral by modestly adjusting the property tax rate so that those with the most valuable properties help fund relief for those with the least room to spare.

I’ve also asked the Finance Committee to request a formal mil rate modeling analysis from City staff, so we can understand what adjustments would be needed to make the expanded program work, without increasing the City’s budget.

Why Now?

Because the moment demands it.

Trump’s federal tax policy rewards the wealthiest Americans while shifting the burden onto working people. Local governments like Portland are left to pick up the slack, with fewer tools and tighter budgets every year. Increasingly, that gap is becoming unmanageable.

But all politics is local, and here in Portland, we already have the tools to fight back. We can expand an existing program that works, and help the people Trump left behind. We can rebalance the equation, right here, right now.

Make no mistake: there will be pushback. Some of Portland’s biggest property owners and corporations will try to keep passing their responsibility onto the rest of us. Some folks who’ve done quite well will claim they can’t possibly give more. But I didn’t run for office to protect the powerful. I ran to fight for working people.

So let’s get ready, with facts, with fairness, and with a plan. Tune in to the Finance Committee meeting on Thursday. Write all of your Councilors and the Mayor. Share this newsletter. Let’s move this forward together.

Finance Committee Meeting
Thursday, September 11
Time 5:00 pm
Remote Via Zoom

Thank you for being engaged and for continuing to demand fairness in how we govern. I’ll keep you posted as this conversation moves forward.

ksykes@portlandmaine.gov 207-558-5764

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