Big town, big problems

There must be a way to close the growing rift between the Land Use Regulation Commission and the unorganized territories it oversees. Building “the world’s largest town” isn’t it, but is a useful idea anyway.

If nothing else, the proposal by Rep. Henry Joy of Crystal to bring the 128 populated UTs together in one mega-municipality raises issues the Legislature can no longer ignore. The 7,000 UT residents need a greater role in governing themselves, in educating their children, in spending their tax dollars. With public and non-profit conservation land purchases at fever pitch, a mechanism should be developed to protect local jurisdictions — not just the UTs — from the loss of tax base.

But creating a 10-million acre town stretching from Cobscook Bay to the Crown of Maine to the western mountains would not accomplish those things. A 128-member superboard of selectmen — one from each territory — is impractical. And with the population of the UTs ranging from four to roughly 500, also illegal, unless the U.S. Supreme Court can be convinced that the well-established principle of “one person, one vote” does not apply to rural Maine. Then there would be a planning board to staff, a zoning board, a school board and a slew of other offices to fill. Not to mention replacing LURC’s $1.6 million budget with local taxes.

Look at the problem from the other direction, from the point of view of Madrid, a western Maine town in the process of becoming an unorganized territory. Madrid is a no-frills town of scarcely 200 people. There is no town hall, little in the way of services and an increasingly difficult time getting people to serve on boards and committees. Madrid has few businesses, no industry, an enormous amount of land in low-tax tree growth and a mill rate of nearly 17. As a UT, the rate would drop to 8, with the state and the county picking up the difference. While there are concerns about the reduced local control, the prevailing sentiment seems to be that there is a proportional relationship between taxation and representation.

The Legislature should use Joy’s proposal as a springboard for reform. First, though, it must separate fact from fiction, reality from horror story. For example, contrary to a claim made at the public hearing on the bill, a UT resident does not need permission from 32 agencies to install a privy. The correct number is two. Only when the myths are dispelled can lawmakers, LURC and UT residents craft solutions. Perhaps LURC could make fuller use of its regional offices, perhaps LURC rules should be voted on the way townspeople vote on ordinances. Perhaps the Legislature needs to increase LURC’s budget to accomplish those things. Perhaps the UTs could form regional sub-units and put together an advisory committee of manageable size to work more closely with LURC.

And UT residents who feel trampled upon might reflect on a couple of recent LURC actions. In one, the agency stopped a Sinclair Township property owner from filling in the shoreline of Long Lake, to the cheers of his upset neighbors. In another, LURC approved the Passamaquoddy Tribe’s bingo hall in Albany Township, a ruling that was overturned in a lawsuit brought by the tribe’s upset neighbors.

One person’s over-regulation is another’s protection, and that will always be true whether one lives in an unorganized territory or in the world’s biggest town.