MILLINOCKET — Maine Attorney General William Schneider is being asked to determine if Gov. Paul LePage can legally withhold $216,000 from Millinocket.

Rep. Herbert Clark of Millinocket wants a legal opinion on whether LePage can cut the amount of so-called Sudden and Severe Impact Funds the town gets for the loss of taxable value it suffered with the sale of the two Katahdin region paper mills last year.

A LePage spokeswoman said the funds are being withheld because town officials broke an agreement to contribute $50,000 annually to help maintain a former mill-operated landfill.

The Bangor Daily News reported that Millinocket town councilors say LePage and his spokeswoman are lying.

The councilors have released 24 pages of correspondence between state and town officials show Millinocket only agreed to a one-time $50,000 payment toward the landfill, the town said.

The councilors challenged LePage to provide documentation showing that they agreed to make annual payments.

“What the governor said through his spokeswoman is a lie. It is not an error. It is a lie,” Councilor Michael Madore said Thursday, according to the Daily News.

“What has been printed is a boldfaced lie,” Councilor John Raymond said of spokeswoman Adrienne Bennett’s comments in the Bangor newspaper.

The state took ownership of the landfill last spring to facilitate the sale of the two mills.

 

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