Town of Lebanon Seeks Residents Interested in Election Official Duties.

Residents of Lebanon
The Town of Lebanon is in need of

Election Officials

 

An Election Official is an appointed employee who attends Elections to work. The work performed can range from Registering People to Vote, Checking Residents into the voting place and helping to count election results. Election Officials should be enrolled in a qualified party (Democrat-Republican).

The work of Election Officials is extremely important and requires diligence as well as patience. These officials hold office for 2 years and may be asked to work any or all elections in that time period. Hours can range from a full election day to a shift of a few hours.

Lebanon has had a wonderful crew in the past and we hope to see some of those faces back however, there are vacant seats that need to be filled.

Interested parties are asked to submit a request for appointment to the Board of Selectmen or the Town Clerk on or before April 1st 2016. Our first Election of 2016 will be the Town Election with a Selectman seat up for grabs along with other vacancies. The Town will also vote on the School Budget that same day; May 10th from 6am-8pm.

Thank you for your important contribution to democracy.

 

 

Read more: http://www.lebanon-me.org/node/2021

Employer 2016 Unemployment Contribution Schedule to Drop to Lowest Rate Since 2009

 

Employer 2016 Unemployment Contribution Schedule to Drop to Lowest Rate Since 2009

Businesses will save $30 million in unemployment taxes next year

The Maine Department of Labor has released the 2016 Unemployment Insurance Tax Rate Schedule. Rates will drop to the Schedule B level, the lowest rate since 2009. This drop represents an approximate 21 percent decrease in unemployment taxes paid per employee.

The 2016 Rates per $1,000 paid an employee

• Minimum rate will be 0.57 percent
• The maximum rate is 5.40 percent
• The average rate, which is also the new employer rate, will be 2.04 percent.

Examples:

• Employers paying the minimum rate will see an annual decrease of $20.40 in taxes per employee paid at least $12,000 in wages.
• Employers paying the average rate will see a decrease of $67.20 per employee.
• Employers paying the maximum rate will see a decrease of $175.20 per employee.

Employers should receive their individual 2016 rate notices in mid-to-late December. Employers with questions about their 2015 or 2016 unemployment contributions should visit the department’s webpage on unemployment taxes at http://www.maine.gov/labor/unemployment/tax.html or call (207) 621-5120.

State Officials Continue to Warn About Phoney IRS Telephone Scams, and Give Pointers on How to Identify Telephone Scams!

State Officials Issue Warning about Phony IRS Calls, and Offer Free Anti-Scam Publications

12/09/2015 12:26 PM EST

Maine's Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection at the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation (www.maine.gov.pfr) is warning about a scam making its rounds again, just in time for the holiday season.

The Bureau has received multiple reports from consumers in Washington, Aroostook and Kennebec Counties about phony calls from scammers posing as IRS agents, demanding payment immediately to avoid arrest and jail time. The Bureau's Principal Examiner, David Leach, outlined several recent cases:

-- A Pittston man reported his household received a call from a man saying he was an IRS agent, stating his family was in danger of imminent arrest unless money was wired to him the same afternoon.

-- An Aroostook county woman reported a caller saying she was working for the IRS and there was a pending federal lawsuit against her, and the only way it could be stopped was for her to send money that day.

-- A Washington County man stated a neighbor had sent money to a caller purporting to be an IRS agent to settle a tax obligation and avoid a federal action, and later learned he had been scammed, and the money sent was lost.

"Governmental tax agencies will not call consumers and demand immediate payment of overdue taxes," Leach said. "Maine citizens are reporting the same approach by scammers. The calls were their first notice of owing supposedly overdue taxes, and in each case, because it was a scam, no monies were actually due. Legitimate authorities will start their communications with correspondence on agency letterhead, sent from an actual government office, while scammers do not operate in this manner."

Leach noted that scammers typically attempt to scare potential victims into writing funds immediately using such money transmission options such as Western Union, Money Gram or a Green Dot Card. Once the money is wired and received by crooks, it's generally gone for good. The Maine Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection offers the following guidelines:

-- Never send money for alleged overdue taxes in response to a single call from someone claiming to be working for a taxation authority. This is especially true when the caller threatens arrest unless funds are sent by money transmitters or prepaid cash cards.

-- Never disclose personal information such as Social Security number, date of birth, credit card or bank account numbers to unknown callers; this could lead to identity theft.

-- If the caller claims to be from a federal agency like the IRS, ask for the exact name of that agency, the agency's physical address, and the supervisor's direct dial (not an 800 number). If the caller claims to be in Washington DC, the number should have an area code of 202. When in doubt, locate the actual number of the tax authority and call to determine if you are the subject of an overdue tax bill.

-- Report suspicious activity to the Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection, 1-800-332-8529, or to an IRS office, or a federal law enforcement office in Maine or Boston.

Additional information about the Maine Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection and its resources, including its free (to Maine residents) anti-scam titled Gone Phishing, is available by calling the Bureau or online at www.Credit.Maine.gov.

2,200 Moose Harvested in 2015 Maine Moose Hunt, an 80% Success Rate of 2,740 Permits.

Preliminary Moose Hunt Numbers Are Up For 2015

 

 

 

 AUGUSTA, Maine -- With the preliminary numbers in, it looks as though moose hunters were more successful in 2015 than in 2014, and Maine's moose population looks healthy.
"We had a number of moose that weighed in excess of 1,000 pounds,” said Kantar.  “The moose we examined looked very healthy, with good percentage of body fat stored for the winter.
Approximately 2,200 hunters harvested a moose in 2015, an 80% success rate for the 2,740 permits issued. This is up from 2014, when 2,022 of 3,095 hunters were successful for a 65% success rate. With approximately 12% fewer permits issued in 2015 than 2014, approximately 180 more moose hunters were successful in 2015.
“The numbers are still preliminary, but it looks as though better hunting weather, later seasons and fewer permits all contributed to a higher success rate for moose hunters,” said Lee Kantar, moose biologist for the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
Maine’s moose hunt is designed to manage the moose population. By modifying the number and type of moose permits available to hunters, the department can manage the moose population in order to provide for hunting and viewing opportunities, maintain a healthy moose population, and limit the number of moose/vehicle accidents.
The moose hunt also provides thousands of pounds of wild game meat that is high in nutrition, sustainable, free range, and organic. On average, an 850-pound field dressed moose will provide over 450 pounds of meat.
“Hunting in Maine is a tradition,” said IFW wildlife division director Judy Camuso, “Not only does it help us manage healthy wildlife populations, but it also provides organic, free-range protein to thousands of families in Maine and beyond.”
The preliminary harvest results are calculated through biological data collected at moose registration stations during the September, October and November moose hunt seasons.
“Each year at moose registration stations, we examine over 90 percent of the moose that are harvested. By comparing the data to years past, we can get a fairly accurate estimate of how many hunters were successful,” said Kantar, who added that a final harvest number on the moose hunt would be completed by the end of January.
Moose hunting in Maine continues to be extremely popular, with over 52,374 hunters applying to the moose lottery for a chance to hunt moose.

Governor Paul LePage Moves Ahead with Hiring New Maine Drug Enforcement Agents as Promised.

Governor Takes Action to Address Maine's Heroin Crisis

12/09/2015 12:51 PM EST

 AUGUSTA - Governor Paul R. LePage today took action signing a financial order to authorize the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency to hire 10 drug agents to help combat Maine's drug pandemic.

Please see the attached letter attached letter and financial order  delivered Wednesday to Senate President Michael Thibodeau and Legislative leadership.

Dog Licensing Due by January 31, 2016...Online Options Available

Online Dog Licensing Now Available

All license renewals must be completed by January 31, 2016

AUGUSTA, Maine – December 10, 2015 – The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry's Animal Welfare Program would like to remind citizens that all dog licenses need to be renewed by January 31, 2016. In order to streamline the licensing process, the agency offers an online service to complete this transaction. Online Dog Licensing (www.maine.gov/online/dog_license/) was created in partnership with InforME, the state’s eGovernment service provider, and currently has over 110 participating municipalities. The service provides citizens in these municipalities with the opportunity to purchase new licenses and file renewals. 

The online service is available to the public each year between October 15 and January 31. During this time, an individual can request a new license for their dog or renew an existing license with their municipality. In order to complete the licensing process, customers will need to supply veterinarian and vaccination information. If a customer is renewing an existing license, they will also need to enter their dog’s current tag number.

Funds received through the dog licensing program are used to support numerous good causes throughout Maine, such as: 

• Investigation of animal cruelty complaints and enforcement of animal welfare laws
• Compliance with rabies vaccination of dogs
• Care for sick and injured stray animals
• Return of lost dogs to their owners

Online Dog Licensing is just one of the many local government services now available through Maine.gov. For more information about this service, contact the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry at 207-287-3846 or by email at animal.welfare@maine.gov.

Maine Department of Agriculture Prepares for Impending Outbreak of Spruce Budworm

Maine prepares for impending outbreak of spruce budworm

12/11/2015 10:58 AM EST

 AUGUSTA - The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) today released its 2015 report on spruce budworm in Maine. Entomologists from the DACF's Maine Forest Service note a steady rise in the numbers of insects caught in pheromone traps concentrated along the Canadian border. Quebec's infestation now encompasses 15.6 million acres and has spread south onto the Gaspe Peninsula and toward Maine. The insect's potential to become an outbreak over vast regions of commercially valuable spruce-fir forests has scientists and public official deeply concerned. An infestation can spread rapidly via moths migrating to new areas.

"The total economic impact of Maine's forest industry is $8 billion with direct and indirect employment of 38,789 workers," said Governor Paul R. LePage. "Fighting destructive pests like the spruce budworm is important to help protect Maine jobs and our economy. It is important that Maine's forest professionals identified the potential threat early on, are on top of recent developments and are preparing action steps to help minimize the damage from a future budworm outbreak."

Commissioner Walt Whitcomb stressed the DACF has been busy tracking the budworm by expanding the program used to determine its potential spread and impact.

"Permanent pheromone traps have been run annually for the past twenty years," said Whitcomb. "In light of the serious nature of the current potential threat to Maine forests, we significantly expanded our monitoring program last year. We are also working closely with stakeholders on a response plan to help minimize damage to our spruce-fir forests in the event of a major outbreak."

The report, Spruce Budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana) in Maine 2015, can be accessed online at: http://www.maine.gov/dacf/mfs/forest_health/documents/2015sbwreport.pdf

**Maine's Response:**

Because the last spruce budworm outbreak during the 1970s-80s grew quickly, killed millions of acres of spruce-fir stands, and cost the region's economy many hundreds of millions of dollars, the Maine Spruce Budworm Task Force was formed in summer 2013 by the University of Maine's Cooperative Forest Research Unit (CFRU), Maine Forest Service (MFS), and the Maine Forest Products Council (MFPC) to begin the process of preparing for the next outbreak of the eastern spruce budworm.

Task teams including more than 65 experts on various aspects of the issue were assembled to address key aspects of the coming outbreak, including: wood supply & economic impacts; monitoring & protection; forest management; policy, regulatory and funding; wildlife habitat; public communications & outreach; and research priorities. Their pending report (which is in final drafting stages) includes an initial risk assessment of the coming spruce budworm outbreak and provides key recommendations for how Maine's forestry community can begin preparing for and responding to the coming outbreak.

 **Spruce Budworm:**

The native spruce budworm has long been recognized as a regular component of Maine's spruce-fir forests. Under normal (endemic) conditions populations of this insect are often so low as to be difficult to detect. Periodically, however, the budworm undergoes a population explosion (epidemic) and becomes so abundant that serious feeding damage occurs. Heavily infested stands appear reddish in July due to masses of dead, chewed needles clinging to the branches. Tree mortality may occur after several years of heavy feeding.

For more information about the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, go to: http://www.maine.gov/dacf