Cooper deorganization: wrong problem, right solution

I believe deorganization is the right solution for a wrong problem. The wrong problem originates at state level with mandates that force small towns such as Cooper, in Washington County, to take on more and more responsibilities at great financial cost with less assistance from the state.

Examples of this is shifting the major responsibility to implement General Assistance onto small towns as well as the state requiring towns to hire a code enforcement officer and an animal control officer. At one time, a resident would take on these responsibilities but with the stricter guidelines and extensive training required, this is no longer feasible.

We cannot expect someone to invest so much time and energy to volunteer for a position that the town can afford to pay so little for. Insurance companies also contribute to the problem by no longer allowing a person to operate out of their homes without great financial impact.

Cooper has no full-time employees and more paperwork places a huge burden on elected officials who serve in addition to being busy working full time jobs or running a business on top of taking care of family that include children and aging-disabled grandparents. One right solution is to co-op or regionalize these services amongst a group of small towns.

In an op-ed March 11, Cooper resident Stuart Shotwell stated that local control is the best protection against excessive revaluation. The local control is practically nonexistent as it has slowly been eroded by the state in the previous years. Town valuation is calculated by formula set by the state and town tax assessors have to abide by these regulations. Valuation formulas are not a problem, it is the way the state calculates how much the town of Cooper is worth. Shorefront property that was worth $20,000 ten years ago is now selling at up to half a million dollars.

A great way to protect Maine citizens and residents is to base valuation on actual sale price with a base set on the current formula. If a person with unlimited monetary resources believes that our land is worth a million, he should be taxed on that amount until current formulas exceed the purchase price. Buying land at such exorbitant prices currently causes all our properties to increase in valuation and our taxes are skyrocketing. These high taxes force our retired residents who are on fixed incomes to sell out their precious birthright and those of their children and grandchildren. Reverse mortgages would be a better option over deferring payment of taxes which is another name for state loan.

I concur with Shotwell on a right solution that would be of great assistance to Cooper would be for the state to shoulder the responsibility for winter maintenance on Route 191. A bill currently in the legislature to fund winter maintenance on all state roads at a cost of $30 million would have addressed this problem. Current opinions are that this will be voted as ought not to pass. Our elected representatives in Augusta should assist us in making an exception for Route 191.

Schools currently account for approximately 65 percent of our taxes raised. Proposed new school funding formulas will take more money away from our small communities and funnel them into big city schools. This is forcing small schools to “deorganize” and become a part of consolidated schools. Cooper’s school board has already implemented measures to cut costs by switching schools and going over budgets with a fine tooth comb. It is a shame that small towns cringe when a family with children move in as it has such a negative impact on taxes.

One of the biggest concerns some of Cooper’s residents have regarding deorganization is the fear that residents will lose access to Cathance Lake via our town beach. According to the deorganization plan now in legislature, the current land known as the town beach would be turned over to a local, suitable, non profit association with the provision that the site be maintained at its current level with no further development and that it remain open to the public. One-third of all unexpended surplus will be given to an organization assuming the town beach.

As for the nonmonetary loss to Cooper, I do not believe that deorganization would change how neighbors interact. We currently have institutions such as Cathance Grange, Cooper Volunteer Fire Department and the Cathance Lake Association in place that allow us to intermingle and meet as a community. Whether we belong to the town of Cooper or to Cooper Township will not impact how we deal with each other. Becoming deorganized does not mean becoming disorganized and living in Nowheresville. We would become Cooper Township, a part of a co-op of small towns that is called Washington County Unorganized Territories. This allows us to have a bigger voice in state government.

Although it is true that UT can only give predictions and not promises as to our future, can our elected Town officials offer our residents any more? We can only look to the track record of how the UT has dealt with its citizenry and we need to look no further than our southern neighbors of Township 14. All residents of Township 14 that

I have spoken with have told me that deorganization was a positive move.

Because Cooper is a unique town that is centrally located between Calais-Machias but geographically divided, deorganization is a right solution. We have no common schools so residents on the northern end of town heads toward Calais-Baileyville, the residents on the southern end tend to go toward Machias and western residents tend to migrate toward Alexander. I strongly encourage the Legislature to approve Cooper’s deorganization plan and allow the voters of Cooper to decide our fate in the November 2005 election.

Kathleen Hull is the owner and operator of Cathance Lake Variety, and serves as town clerk, registar of voters, treasurer and tax collector for the town of Cooper.