Vote “NO” on Article 10

Major victory for Readfield families and taxpayers:

See The Full Statement

We Need Solutions, Not New Problems

Protect Readfield’s future with your vote.

On Tuesday, June 14, VOTE NO ON ARTICLE 10 at the Annual Town Meeting Warrant/Secret Ballot.

Why Vote “NO” on Article 10?

A municipally-owned high-speed broadband internet network would create new problems – not solutions.

In fact, risky, duplicative municipal broadband would:

Dwarf budgets for critical community priorities, like road maintenance and ambulance and emergency dispatch services.

Significantly increase property taxes, regardless of whether Readfield residents actually use the internet service. In fact, Town documents estimate nearly $5 million to be raised by property taxes for 2022 alone!

Nearly quadruple Readfield’s indebtedness.

Saddle our community with debt until 2042.

Put scarce taxpayer dollars at risk on the type of Town-owned internet system that usually fails and almost always leaves taxpayers holding the bag and those who need help most still unconnected.

In nearby Southport, hundreds of Town residents recently petitioned their local government to stop building the same type of municipal internet project Readfield is planning. Why? Because of fears that the project will fail and saddle taxpayers with millions in debt. Southport residents want their local government to partner with a private internet provider who will focus on bringing internet to the few remaining homes that don’t have service – a faster and less costly approach that guarantees all families have access to the internet.

According to Readfield Fiber’s own website…

“Property owners in Readfield will all contribute to the construction cost of the fiber network through their annual property tax bill in the same way as we all share the costs of roads, buildings, schooling, county assessments, protection costs for Fire and Ambulance service, and all other town expenses. The amount you will pay is based on the assessed value of your property. The approximate rate is $4 for each $50,000 of value.”