Our newsroom periodically examines and tracks political and governmental spending occurring in Maine — from how much money a candidate is receiving (and where that money comes from) to how taxpayer dollars are being used (or misused) by government officials.
FEATURED STORY:
The $132M electricity rip-off
Private electricity suppliers, which promised rates lower than the government-set default, instead cost Mainers an extra $132 million over seven years.
All Stories:
Dig into Maine counties’ stimulus spending with this ARPA project database
The Maine Monitor worked with the Investigative Reporting Workshop to analyze data from reports submitted to the U.S. Treasury Department. Take a look at the top spending categories and explore nearly 500 projects in our searchable table.
Public safety expenses make up largest share of Maine counties’ ARPA budgets
While counties made deep investments in community projects and critical infrastructure, they budgeted more for emergency services, sheriffs’ offices and county jails.
In Franklin County, ARPA funds going toward new emergency communications system
The new software will replace a system that’s more than 30 years old, and include data gathered through specialized aerial photography.
Washington County public safety building set to open in April
The $5.5 million facility, funded with pandemic recovery money, will bring all of the county’s law enforcement offices together in one space.
Penobscot County spent $2M to tear down an asbestos-filled building. The lot is still empty.
County commissioners approved spending more than $1 million from the American Rescue Plan Act to remove asbestos from the former Bangor YMCA and then demolish it.