Charles Pitches $100,000 Homestead Exemption at Wells Town Hall

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bobby Charles told voters at an October 12 town hall in Wells that he would raise Maine's homestead property-tax exemption to $100,000 and reimburse municipalities in full for the revenue they would lose, The Maine Wire reported.

Maine's current exemption shields as much as $25,000 of taxable value for qualifying homeowners. Charles' plan would quadruple that figure, though the dollar savings for any household would depend on local mill rates and assessments. He also said he would end property taxes for veterans rated 100 percent disabled and broaden exemptions for other veterans.

Charles put the price of the package at roughly $150 million and said he would cover it by cutting waste, consolidating overlapping programs and examining vacant state jobs. He did not release a budget specifying those reductions, and the exemption changes would need approval and funding from the Legislature.

Other commitments included a first-day executive order on Title IX and girls' school sports and facilities, faster housing permitting, a shift in addiction policy toward detox, residential treatment and sober housing, a phased income-tax reduction, revisions to energy policy and closing the Office of New Americans created under Gov. Janet Mills.

Former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu appeared with Charles and urged Republicans to court independents and Democrats before the November 3 election.

This story was first reported by The Maine Wire.