 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 | |||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||
|
Working Waterfront
Maine Working Waterfront Coalition The MLA is a founding member and active participant of the Maine Working Waterfront Coalition (WWC). The WWC formed in March 2003 to protect and preserve our increasingly vulnerable marine infrastructure and working access to the water. The mission of the WWC is to support and enhance the working waterfront through policy, planning, investment and education. This statewide group has grown from 12 to over 100 members representing industry associations, nonprofits, state agencies and committed individuals from York to Washington County. The WWC has supported the development of a toolbox to provide coastal communities with a variety of tools in order to take their own, local approach to their specific waterfront pressures. Current Use Taxation MLA’s Executive Director served as Chairman of the successful campaign to pass a referendum to change Maine’s constitution to allow waterfront land that supports commercial fishing to be taxed at its current use. This program was overwhelming supported by the Maine Legislature and Maine’s voters in 2005. The current use tax program for working waterfront will be developed by the Maine Legislature in 2006. Working Waterfront Access Pilot Program The WWC also championed the idea of establishing a state program to protect working waterfront properties appearing on the real estate market from being converted to other uses. A $2 million bond package was overwhelmingly supported by the Maine Legislature and Maine voters in 2005. Currently, the Department of Marine Resources and the Maine State Planning Office are working with other state agencies to launch the Working Waterfront Access Pilot Program. |
|
|