Piscataquis, state officials talk business

DOVER-FOXCROFT – The Land Use Regulation Commission has hired two consultants to work with the department to help process Plum Creek’s proposed development plan for the Moosehead Lake region, Piscataquis County commissioners learned Tuesday.

LURC Director Catherine Carroll said the positions of Evan Richerts of Portland, former state planning office director under the King administration, and attorney Ron Kreisman of Hallowell, will be funded by $100,000 provided by Plum Creek.

Carroll was one of four state officials to attend the special meeting with the commissioners Tuesday to discuss their responsibilities in the unorganized territories and to share information and listen to concerns. Also attending were Robert Doiron, property tax division supervisor of the unorganized territories; Dick Moreau, superintendent of schools in the unorganized territories; and Doreen Sheive, fiscal administrator for the unorganized territories.

Plum Creek, which has proposed the biggest development ever in the state in the Moosehead Lake region, wants to create 975 house lots, both waterfront and back lots, in the next 10 to 15 years and construct a 3,000-acre resort in Lily Bay, among other plans. In exchange, the company plans to place 382,000 acres into a 30-year no-development zone.

Although Plum Creek’s application is not complete and has not yet been accepted by LURC for review and action, Carroll said the company was very supportive of LURC’s request for a processing fee for such an extraordinary project. She was quick to add that the payment does not guarantee a permit.

“Plum Creek is not paying for a permit,” Carroll said. While the consultants will help process the application, it will be up to her to preview and process it,” she said.

Carroll also advised the commissioners that Jen Speirs, LURC’s regional representative in the Greenville office, had resigned to take another job. There may be a “little void” before a replacement is on board, she said.

From Doiron the commissioners learned that the 2005 mill rate for Piscataquis County’s unorganized territories likely will be about 46 cents more than last year. While the mill rate has not yet been set, he said it appeared the tax rate would increase from $7.89 to $8.44 per $1,000 valuation. That could change a few cents when final adjustments are made, he noted.

Taxes are typically low in unorganized territories because few services are provided, Sheive said. Even though the rates are low, the unorganized territories contribute the largest share of the county budget, she said. People need to realize that property owners in the unorganized territories not only pay for the services they are provided, but they also contribute more than $1 million in county taxes or 34.7 percent of the county budget. The next highest contributor is Dover-Foxcroft, which pays 12 percent of the budget.

Sheive also weighed in on a barking dog ordinance for unorganized territories, an issue that surfaced before county officials in recent weeks. She said that while no county now has such an ordinance for its unorganized territories, the law gives commissioners the authority to adopt one.

Other issues raised by county officials included the use of all-terrain vehicles on public ways and unregulated junkyards, specifically in Orneville, where attempts have been made to get landowners in compliance, with little success.

Commissioner Fred Trask sought some guidance from the state officials regarding payment for response to rescue calls in unorganized territories.

Milo and Greenville fire departments traditionally respond to such rescue calls. While Greenville does not bill the county for its response, Milo does. The problem is not the response of the ambulance but of the rescue team itself. These costly bills have been paid by the county, he said.

“There’s no way the unorganized territories pay for that rescue,” Sheive said. “We don’t pay for that kind of thing.”

Sheive said these issues may well be addressed when a legislative study commission convenes in August. That 17-member committee, which will include two county commissioners, will focus on the provision of services to unorganized territories.

New legislation may result for next session from this study commission, she said.