‘Pay as you go’ in South Portland shouldn’t stop with trash collection | Opinion
Micah Engber is a longtime resident of South Portland.
I can see the benefits of “pay as you go” for trash collection in South Portland, but only if this logic is applied to all city services.
For example, I have no use for the South Portland school system. I have never had a child attend a school in South Portland and over the course of my 39 years as a South Portland resident I have been inside a school building twice for brief meetings. Based on South Portland’s current budget my property taxes should be reduced by 61.57%. (My basic calculations indicate the city owes me in excess of $50,000 back payment for 39 years of taxes I have paid for this unused service.)
I am not sure of the budget figures for the South Portland Community Center but being that I vote by mail, I have no use for it. If the city is moving to a “pay as you go” system, the amount I am contributing to that facility and its staff and management should also be taken off my property taxes and refunded as an unused city service.
I did go to Bug Light Park for 20 minutes in June of 2025. I will be happy to pay for that visit but otherwise I never use the city’s Parks and Recreation programs. Please eliminate those annual costs from my tax bill.
Over the past 39 years I have rarely needed the services of the South Portland police and fire departments. I am sure I would save a considerable amount of tax dollars if those services were changed to “pay as you go.”
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Perhaps we should set up all city streets as toll roads that require EZ Pass and/or license plate readers and have all drivers pay only for the roads they use. This could be a great savings to those who don’t drive and those who bike or walk instead. Additionally, most residents have never used the South Portland General Assistance Program, so why should their tax bill include paying for others?
Oh wait, there’s a clue, “paying for others.” South Portland is a community with community services paid for by community member taxpayers who may not use all the services made available by the city. We all pay for some things we do not use for the benefit of those in the community who do need or use these services or programs. Community members, taxpayers, pay for all city services regardless of how much or little of that service is used, needed or wanted by that individual taxpayer. Currently, this includes trash collection and that needs to remain as such.
“Pay as you go” trash collection is a regressive tax that would be highly detrimental to large families and those with low or fixed incomes. If the city of South Portland wishes to change how services are paid for and charge taxpayers on a pay as you go basis for services like trash collection, then it is important to logically follow through and allow all residents to save on all services not used.
Let’s make all community services “pay as you go.” This is my “modest proposal” for tremendous potential savings for South Portland city taxpayers.
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