THE WIND MAINE TAXPAYERS LIKE

Wind farm helps Lincoln lower tax rate, town officials say
Nick Sambides Jr, September 20, 2011 (Bangor Daily News)

"…[Property owners] will pay…less in town taxes annually than they would have paid last year…Town Manager Lisa Goodwin attributed the lower rate to the $42.2 million in value added to local taxes by…First Wind’s tax increment financing agreement with the town [on its nearby Rollins Mountain wind project].

"Revenue from the project allowed town leaders to purchase or partially pay for several pieces of needed equipment without raising taxes, Goodwin said…Without the TIF revenues, the equipment purchases and other expenses would have increased the town’s mill rate…$2,212 for every $100,000 of property…"

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"The full value of the Rollins project wasn’t realized this year because the added value was assessed in April, before the project became operational…An estimated $18 million will be added to the project’s value in the next fiscal year…

"Rollins Mountain was the state’s first site contracted to deliver its 60-megawatt capacity to customers of Bangor Hydro-Electric Co. and Central Maine Power Co. …[R]atepayers shouldn’t expect to see any great decreases in their electric bills because of Rollins, which provides a small portion of the total electricity Bangor Hydro and CMP draw upon. State public utilities studies have estimated that the project will save ratepayers $20 million to $40 million over its 20 years of life, depending on how much the cost of fossil fuels rises…"