The Lamoine Quaterly - October 2004

Proposed Tax Cap Could Impact Budget

Lamoine) — The so called “Palesky Tax Cap” that would limit property taxes to 1-percent of a property’s 1996 valuation could affect Lamoine’s budget negatively, but the exact amount depends on how the Maine Supreme Court interprets the question, should it pass.
The measure, which appears as question 1 on the state referendum ballot, would limit the amount of property tax raised in all Maine communities to 1-percent of the assessed value. It also rolls back the valuation to 1996 levels, but the Supreme Court gave an advisory opinion that would be unconstitutional Even the measure’s supporters admit that portion of the question is unconstitutional and would have to be fixed.
Based on the rollback provision being taken out of the mix, Treasurer Stu Marckoon prepared an analysis of what the question would mean based on the current year’s valuation and budget. Assuming flat funding for next year, and based on a 100-percent valuation as set by the state, the town would have to trim spending or find other revenue sources to make up for $131,731.07 in lost property tax revenue. The local mill rate for Lamoine is 13.8, but the town is assessing property at approximately 79.2% of what the state says are full values for properties.
The Board of Selectmen did not wish to release any speculation on what service cuts might come with the loss of revenue. The Budget Committee will start meeting in early October, and one of the first agenda items will be on how to start formulating the 2005/2006 budget given the tax cap question. The analysis of the tax cap impact is posted on the town’s website (www.lamoine-me.gov). Debate in the final month before the election is likely to get heated and complicated. Voters are urged to get as much information as possible before voting.

Town Takes Back Garage

(Lamoine) — The town once again owns the former Nate & Marti Anderson garage. Selectmen voted to retain possession of the 576 square foot garage after the folks who purchased the house decided they wished to give back the garage to the community. Neil, Katheryn, Patty and Ralph Murphy moved the former home to Buttermilk Road.
Fire Chief Skip Smith approached the Murphys about possibly letting the fire department use the building for storage. The fire department holds an annual auction, and the chief felt the goods would be better suited for storage off-site instead of among the fire apparatus.
The Selectmen were to decide the final fate of the building in late September. There is presently no electricity to the building.

Planning Board Poised to Act on Subdivisions

(Lamoine) — The town’s Planning Board should decide whether a pair of subdivision proposals will receive final approval at the October 12th meeting. One subdivision dubbed “Boulder Cove” is proposed on Shore Road. It would contain 11-lots of residential homes. Tony and Elizabeth Belch who’ve successfully developed “Applewood Shores” on Douglas Highway submitted the proposal which the Planning Board found complete. Prior to action, the Planning Board will hold a public hearing.
Following the same procedure is another 11-lot subdivision called “Marlboro Mist II” proposed by developer Steve Joy. This subdivision, if approved, would be located behind the many lots approved along Partridge Cove Road (Route 204) called “Marlboro Mist I”.
In addition to the planned final action, the board also has three other subdivisions in various stages of the approval process. Duane Crawford & Julie Tilden have proposed an 11-lot subdivision off Shore Road (see land purchase article on page 1). The Planning Board has yet to find that application complete.
Keven Ireland of Bangor has submitted an 11-lot subdivision proposal for land he owns bordering the Ellsworth/Lamoine town line on Douglas Highway.
Gary Murphy and John Goodwin have proposed a 2-lot subdivision on land Mr. Murphy owns on Partridge Cove Road.
All three proposals await additional information requested by the Planning Board.

Moratorium on Subdivisions Discussed

(Lamoine) — Several committees are discussing the need for a possible moratorium on subdivisions. Code Enforcement Officer Dennis Ford broached the idea with the Board of Selectmen in July, suggesting a moratorium on subdivisions of greater than three lots be placed on the next ballot. While the board seemed to agree that serious development pressures face the town, they indicated the town needs to proceed cautiously.
Moratoriums would not pull anything out of the pipeline that has already been proposed, so the five subdivisions under consideration by the Planning Board would not be affected. A moratorium, by state law, would only last for 180-days while the town worked on improving its ordinances dealing with such development. The Selectmen would have the option, if progress was made, of extending the moratorium by another 180-days.
A subdivision moratorium is nothing new in Lamoine. During the late 1980’s the town imposed a moratorium and took that period to develop the present subdivision regulations which were merged into the Building and Land Use Ordinance. During the past two years several changes proposed to that ordinance were designed to clarify some of the language in the subdivision section, but all those efforts failed at the town meeting level. The long-range planning committee might also recommend a moratorium.

Gravel Pit Expansion Nears Decision

(Lamoine) — Harold MacQuinn, Inc. should find out in October whether they can proceed with expansion of a gravel extraction operation. The proposal would extend the excavation of a gravel pit near Lamoine Corner on Douglas Highway onto adjacent land owned by Ralph and Mary Miro. The Miros have entered an agreement with the company to excavate gravel.
MacQuinn submitted the proposal to expand the pit in May. The Planning Board informed the company it also needed a Site Plan Review permit, and the two sides agreed that the fee for that permit would be based only on the additional acreage.
The Planning Board found in August that the Site Plan Review application was complete and set the public hearing for October 12th. Pending a successful completion of the Site Plan Review hearing and positive findings from the Planning Board, the project could receive both the Gravel Extraction and Site Plan Review permits either after the hearing or within 30-days. If approved, the permit would allow extraction on land the Miros had begun to excavate, but were fined heavily for failing to obtain an extraction permit.

Gravel Pit Renewals Sought

(Lamoine) — The Planning Board will deal with several gravel pit renewal applications. RF Jordan has asked that the excavation permit for the pit they purchased on Lamoine Beach Road be renewed, and the Board is expected to act on that request in October.
John W. Goodwin Jr. has also submitted an application to the Board for its October meeting. Renewal of the pit on Lamoine Beach Road could be complete by November. Goodwin also has a pit off Partridge Cove Road.
Several pits owned by Harold MacQuinn, Inc. also expire this fall.

Subdivision Application Designed

(Lamoine) — For many years now developers have had to submit their own application for a subdivision. Faced with increasingly confusing applications, the Planning Board felt it would be a good idea to devise a standard form for subdivision applications.
The initial draft was reviewed at a workshop in September, and a few changes suggested to that draft will be placed before the Board in October. If approved, the new application could begin use immediately.
A copy of the new application, if approved, will be posted on-line at www.lamoine-me.gov.