Business Maine: Budget Watch piece on Governor John Baldacci\u27s recently releas

Business Maine: Budget Watch piece on Governor John Baldacci\u27s recently released $6.4 million budget, which includes a $1 hike in the cigarette tax, the creation of a Department of Commerce and a promise that the state will finally fund 55 percent of local education costs. In addition, the plan calls for reducing the number of school districts from 290 to 26, a move Baldacci claims will save $250 million over 3 years. Baldacci asked for a freeze of property values for homeowners, arguing the move would give taxpayers the relief they\u27ve been demanding. Skeptics said the move would shift the tax burden onto owners of commercial and rental properties. The proposed budget also directs the Department of Health and Human Services, which administers MaineCare, to find an outside contractor for the embattled MaineCare billing system