AUGUSTA (AP) – People from outside Maine who buy land in the state’s Unorganized Territory should know what they’re not getting, says a commission that’s been looking into the cost of providing services in the nearly 10 million acre region.

“More and more people are discovering the wilderness of Maine,” said state Rep. Bob Duplessie, who sponsored legislation that created the study commission. Those who buy need to know that services in the vast, mostly undeveloped region are limited, said Duplessie.

In the past, people who built traditional sporting camps in unorganized townships neither wanted nor expected municipal services. But that has changed in the last decade or so, said Duplessie, D-Westbrook.

Now, more people from outside Maine are buying properties and developing elaborate vacation homes, with expectations of municipal services like police and fire protection and road maintenance.

With that pattern likely to continue as more land is subdivided into house lots, Duplessie has called for a “buyer beware” law to make sure new owners are aware that services in the Unorganized Territory are limited.

The region is overseen to a large degree by Maine’s Land Use Regulation Commission, which provides planning and zoning functions.

As part of its final recommendations to the Legislature to be seated Dec. 6, the study commission next week is expected to ask that several LURC positions be restored, and that a brochure outlining which services are available in the Unorganized Territory be developed.

The recommendations also seek to purchase three forest firefighting helicopters and restore several fire suppression positions. They propose allowing counties to charge municipal service fees for residents for the region.

In addition, the recommendations call for a process to enable fast-growing areas to become organized municipalities.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.