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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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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 |
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| Municipal
Services |
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| Gorham
offers a relatively extensive municipal service
system that has the capability to support
a wide range of business development. |
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| 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. |
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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.
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| 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%. |
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| 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. |
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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 |
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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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The
Gorham Assessor's Office completed a townwide
revaluation for the 2001-2002 fiscal year.
For 2006-2007, the Town had a total valuation
of $1,198,526,100 and a tax commitment of
$19,176,416.
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| Inventory
of Valuation and Assessment April 2007 |
| VALUATION:
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| Real
Estate |
$825,232,800 |
| Personal
Property |
$44,511,600 |
| Total
Valuation |
$1,198,526,100, |
| TAX
RATE: |
x .016 |
| TAX
COMMITMENT: |
$19,176,416 |
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| Note:
2005 was the first year when Maine only
reimbursed 50% of homestead; if Maine would
have reimburssed 100%, there would have
been an additional $19 million. |
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| 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 $16.00 per thousand
dollars is still lower than tax rates in
other regional cities such as Portland,
South Portland, and Saco. 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 ) |
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Full Value Tax Rates for the Town of Gorham
2004-2007
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Year
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Tax Rate/$1000
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Assessment Ratio
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Full Value Tax Rate
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2007
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16.00
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80% |
12.80
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2006
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19.40
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70%
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13.58
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2005
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19.50
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80%
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15.60
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2004 |
20.00 |
90% |
18.00 |
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Full Value Tax
Rates for Gorham and Surrounding Communities,
2007
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Gorham
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Portland
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S. Portland
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Saco
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Full Value Tax Rate
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12.8
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17.10
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13.69
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15.439
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General
Fund and School Operations Fund
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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. |
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Gross Revenue for the Town of Gorham
General Fund and School Operations Fund
2000-2003
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Revenue
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2000
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2001
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2002
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2003
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2004
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2005
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Property
Tax
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11,173,881
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12,489,803
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13,224,401
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14,633,349
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State
Education Subsidy
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8,718,757
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9,294,234
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9,871,583
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10,301,222
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Excise
Tax
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1,743,434
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1,755,146
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1,930,632
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2,107,389
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State
Revenue Sharing
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1,179,077
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1,251,289
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1,192,433
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1,194,609
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| Homestead
Exemption |
452,530 |
471,927 |
417,643
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441,123
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Charge
for Services
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539,938
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762,484
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912,316
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1,039,250
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Other
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1,165,735
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1,125,916
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1,218,999
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3,061,185#
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Total
Revenue
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$24,883,205
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$27,150,799
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$28,768,007 |
$32,778,127
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*
includes Homestead Exemption of $447,819
(1999) and $452,530 (2000)
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Statement
of Expenditures for the Town of Gorham
General Fund and School Operations Fund
1998-2003
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Expenditures
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2000
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2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004
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2005
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Education *
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16,973,781 |
17,820,991 |
19,287,072 |
3,893,402# |
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Public Safety
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1,961,293 |
2,130,809 |
2,309,069 |
2,404,927 |
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Public Works
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1,123,927 |
1,363,441 |
1,501,129 |
1,885,972 |
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General Gov't
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808,001 |
828,588 |
888,335 |
978,596 |
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Debt Services
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172,478 |
289,312 |
293,011 |
301,778 |
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Other
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3,656,016 |
4,268,720 |
3,758,138 |
4,340,808 |
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Total Expenditures
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$24,695,496 |
$26,701,861 |
$28,036,754 |
$33,805,483 |
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* Education figure includes
debt service figures
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Includes Maine State Retirement on behalf
payment of $2,187,055 for 2003 |
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