PAYING FOR GROWTH

With the Land Use Regulation Commission currently assessing Plum Creek Timber Co.’s development plan for the Moosehead Lake region – the largest development ever considered in the state – much is likely to be read into the staff’s recommended denial of a smaller subdivision in the same area.

Although LURC is considered a natural resource agency – it did cite a lack of conservation of scenic and recreational resources as well as plant and animal habitat – perhaps the most interesting and important reason for recommending denial of the 70-lot subdivision on Burnt Jacket Mountain on the east side of the lake was the inadequate provisions for services for the proposed homes.

As growth in the unorganized territories continues at a rapid pace and county and municipal budgets are stretched, providing and paying for sewer services, road maintenance and other infrastructure will become a more pressing issue. LURC is wise to have highlighted the problem and urged solutions.

In recent years, LURC has heard increasing concerns about the ability of county government and nearby towns to accommodate growth in the unorganized territories. LURC Director Catherine Carroll was appropriately concerned about her agency potentially approving development when potential residents couldn’t be assured that they would have adequate sewer, water or emergency services.

She has asked county commissioners and town administrators to meet with the commission to discuss the problem. The commission will continue that discussion Tuesday as part of its meeting in Dover-Foxcroft, where it will also vote on its staff recommendation that the Burnt Jacket proposal be denied.

The Legislature has also formed a group to study the issue. So far, both entities have focused on identifying the problem rather than finding solutions, according to Ms. Carroll who is a member of the legislative study group. They must soon shift gears and seek solutions.

Although the numbers are small, the number of towns seeking to de-organize has grown in recent years. The Legislature earlier this year rejected requests to deorganize from the small communities of Cooper and Drew Plantation.

Many lawmakers cited concerns that town residents simply wanted lower property taxes and that state and county agencies and nearby organized towns can’t physically and fiscally provide services for a growing population in the 10 million acres of unorganized territories.

Between 1990 and 2000, the population in the unorganized territories in Piscataquis County grew 20 percent while the population of the county as a whole dropped 7 percent. The tax rate in the unorganized territories averages about half that in organized territories largely because school costs are shared equally among all unorganized territory taxpayers, including large landowners that own most of the North Woods and require few services.

Greenville Town Manager John Simko has offered a possible solution. He suggests that half of the property tax revenue from new construction and subdivisions in the unorganized territories be put into a regional infrastructure fund to pay for upgrades and expansions necessary to accommodate the growth.

This and other ideas should be put on the table to develop a fair system to allow new growth without overwhelming neighboring communities.