Gorham, Maine  Economic Development Corporation   Town of Gorham, Maine
   
 
 

Gorham Municipal Government

The Town of Gorham operates under a Council/Manager government system. Seven members are elected at large to form the Town Council, which in turn appoints the Town Manager to carry out the administrative responsibilities of the government. Aside from the

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Municipal Services
Public Facilities
Property Taxes
General Fund and School Operations Fund
efforts of full-time employees, the Town benefits from many dedicated citizens who volunteer their time and energy on municipal activities. It is the combination of hard working government employees and active community members that endows Gorham with a strong local government providing a variety of municipal
 
Municipal Services
 
Gorham offers a relatively extensive municipal service system that has the capability to support a wide range of business development.
 
Public Works : The Public Works Department is responsible for road maintenance and construction. In addition, it handles the transfer station and transport of solid waste to Regional Waste Systems; maintenance of all public grounds, including eight cemeteries and fifteen acres of parklands; and upkeep and improvement of sidewalks. Two full-time mechanics and nine equipment operators manage all of the projects, aside from seasonal help used for plowing and mowing.
 
Police Protection : The Gorham Police Department, which services the entire Town, consists of 20 full-time officers, one part-time animal control officer,one DEA Task Force Officer and one secretary. The Police Department, working with other municipal departments as well as civic groups, strives to maintain a safe and secure community in which to live and work.
Gorham Municipal Services
 
Fire Protection : Gorham employs a full-time Fire Chief, a deputy chief, along with six full-time paramedic/firefighters, one part-time fire inspectors and a force of 130 call and volunteers. The Fire and Rescue Department provides service through six stations with 27 pieces of equipment. Response time to the Town's business district is 2-3 minutes for an initial response and only 3-4 minutes to Gorham's Industrial Park. In addition, the Industrial Park is further protected by Automatic Aid through the neighboring City of Westbrook. After a complete review, Gorham's Insurance Service Offices (ISO) rating was improved from a 5/9 to a 4/9, which in turn will lower insurance rates for local businesses by up to 15%.
   
Emergency Rescue : The Fire and Rescue Department also provides emergency medical services. A paramedic is on duty at all times and is supplemented by 35 volunteer members to ensure more than adequate emergency coverage.
 
Economic Development : The Gorham Economic Development Corporation plays an active role in promoting and facilitating economic development in Gorham. Recent projects include a marketing brochure, a town map, and upgraded web site. The USM Corporate Partners is another organization that fosters economic growth in Gorham. This unique alliance of local businesses and University leaders seeks to maximize mutual support between the corporate sector and the University of Southern Maine.

Libraries : There are three libraries in Gorham that receive municipal funding. The Baxter Memorial Library in Gorham Village is the largest and most central, with over 300,000 library items, including books, audio and video cassettes and subscriptions to over 80 magazines and 4 newspapers. The library is also involved with MAINECAT, a statewide CD-ROM based interlibrary loan system, allowing access to a greater amount of materials. Town residents also have access to the USM library, which offers an enormous amount of research capability through stored volumes and various electronic on-line databases.
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Public Facilities and Services
 
Public Water : The primary supplier of public water within the Town of Gorham is the Portland Water District (PWD), which also provides service to Portland and ten other communities in the Greater Portland Area. The main source of water supply is Sebago Lake, one of the cleanest water sources in the country, from which transmission lines ranging in size from 30" to 48" carry water to portions of the Gorham community. Public water service is available in Gorham Village, the Industrial Park, the Little Falls area, areas east of Gorham Village and several locations adjacent to the Water District's transmission lines. Gorham has 32.8 miles (52.8 km) of water mains and consumes 130 million gallons (492 million liters) of water per year. It is possible to expand the present service of the PWD in the Town according to specific needs.

Wastewater Treatment : Gorham contracts with the PWD to collect, treat and maintain the municipal wastewater system. One service area includes most of Gorham Village and the Industrial Park with treatment at the Westbrook Treatment Plant. Based on existing capacity and reserves, there is ample room to accommodate commercial and residential growth. A second network serves part of Little Falls Village with its own separate treatment plant used by the Towns of Gorham and Windham. Overall, Gorham contains 16 miles (27.8 km) of sanitary sewer and 12 miles (19.3 km) of storm sewers owned and operated by the PWD.

Solid Waste Disposal : Gorham is a participant in the Regional Waste Systems (RWS), which operates a waste-to-energy plant, balefill and ash disposal site in the Greater Portland Area. Waste from homes and businesses is transported by either private contractors or individual citizens to a receiving and transfer facility adjacent to the Public Works headquarters. The refuse is then processed and transported to the energy conversion plant in municipally owned trailers. However, approximately 80% of the Town's waste is hauled directly to RWS by commercial haulers.
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Property Taxes
The Gorham Assessor's Office completed a townwide revaluation for the 2001-2002 fiscal year. For 2010-2011, the Town had a total valuation of $1,216,361,800 and a tax commitment of $19,078,800.
Inventory of Valuation and Assessment April 2009
VALUATION:  
   Real Estate $1,167,956,600
   Personal Property  $48,405,200
   Total Valuation $1,216,361,800,
TAX RATE:    x   .0159
TAX COMMITMENT: $19,157,300
Note: 2005 was the first year when Maine only reimbursed 50% of homestead; if Maine would have reimbursed 100%, there would have been an additional $19 million.
 
The Town of Gorham is an attractive commercial and industrial location when considering property taxes. Despite a slight increase in full value tax rates over the last five years, the current rate of $15.90 per thousand dollars is still lower than tax rates in other regional cities such as Portland, South Portland, and Westbrook. The fact that Gorham provides a full range of municipal services while maintaining a low full value tax rate helps make the Town an ideal location for business development. (for additional tax related information, see the State of Maine Revenue Service )
 
Full Value Tax Rates for the Town of Gorham
2007-2010

Year

Tax Rate/$1000

Assessment Ratio

Full Value Tax Rate

2010

15.90

                  80%

12.72

2009

16.00

80%

12.80

2008

16.00

83%

13.38

2007

19.40

66%

12.84

Full Value Tax Rates for Gorham and Surrounding Communities, 2008
 

Gorham

Portland

S. Portland

Westbrook

Full Value Tax Rate

12.72

15.88

13.77

15.32

The drop in the tax rate in 2008 was the result of a 29.5% adjustment in assessed value.

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General Fund and School Operations Fund
 
The Town of Gorham has maintained a well balanced budget over the last several years. Despite only a slight increase in budget, the Town has been able to successfully provide a wide range of municipal services. Overall, gross revenues have steadily increased, where the majority of income has been from property taxes and the state education subsidy. Expenditures since 1991 illustrate an increase in education and public safety.
 
Gross Revenue for the Town of Gorham
General Fund and School Operations Fund
2007-2010

Revenue

2007

2008

2009

2010

Property Tax

17,360,541

18,647,578

18,717,162

18,805,570

State Education Subsidy

18,578,308

18,894,049

19,245,334

19,741,066

Excise Tax

2,468,679

2,486,856

2,403,379

2,374,614

State Revenue Sharing

1,265,414

1,389,770

1,326,817

1,131,755

Homestead Exemption 331,237 309,050
306,543
303,353
BETR Exemption                    0                       0                  78,942                           131,103 

Charge for Services

1,089,601

1,199,485

1,393,314

1,373,826

Other

2,157,139

2,189,864

2,151,572

1,958,544

Total Revenue

$43,268,919

$45,116,652

$45,623,063

$45,819,831

 
Statement of Expenditures for the Town of Gorham
General Fund and School Operations Fund
2007-2010

Expenditures

2007

2008

2009

2010

Education *

30,708,991 31,525,462 31,609,189 32,769,639

Public Safety

2,944,915 3,254,798 3,395,235 3,205,708

Public Works

2,156,937 2,575,546 2,122,620 2,259,362

General Gov't

3,571,950 3,800,490 3,846,027 4,060,023

Debt Services

973,396 972,572 1,290,420 1,227,603

Other

1,443,290 1,515,220 1,496,775 1,576,913

Total Expenditures

$41,799,479 $43,644,088 $43,760,266 $45,099,248
* Education figure includes debt service figures
 
 
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Copyright@2005 Site Updated 8/18/2005 Photos of Gorham by Martha T. Harris
 
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