Regulations, ordinances, restrictions, protective covenants and moratoriums on building don’t happen in small Maine towns.

Development is not throttled, controlled and is encouraged. Sprawl is not a worry unless in more populated townships near the New Hampshire state line. Folks step up, pitch in when you live in a small Maine town. Have to, only so many players to keep it from deorganizing, surrending to total county or state control.

And the tidy little Maine township usually six long by six wide miles in Northern counties in Vacationland don’t have other things too. You don’t find stop lights. Controlling traffic. What traffic? The town office is not open every day because the 136 people don’t need nor can afford to have the municipal facilities that accessible.

And the small burg, village, plantation, town now shares a postal zip code. Merged with another five digits after the local postmaster who had the mail boxes in his home dies. And the town manager in this tiny Maine town, plantation may have another job. Because his title of town manager in a muncipality does not provide a 401K retirement or health care plan.

No keys to a town owned and registered car or pickup sitting in his driveway either.

The small Maine town or plantation’s property taxes from a handful of structures, vacant woodland and a few open farms. Or maybe some waterfront property tax payers paying a little more of a premium on a river, pond or Maine lake if they are lucky enough to have them in this little township.

And other “departments” like the animal control officer to help me get rid of these beavers who keep creating industriously constructed dams that are flooding my back field road and causing wash outs. Well he also serves on the volunteer fire department.

On the planning board too in case a land subdivision happens to come knocking on the town office door.

Only so many solidiers, cooks in the kitchens so to speak to fill the muncipal voting ballot, to run for office positions.

In Maine making a property, acreage in to more than two parcels in a five year period means wait for the chop clock to stop to create another parcel. Or ring up a Maine land surveyor to lay out the mylar subdivision plan for the signatures of town officials. But in accordance to Maine state subdivision laws at the time. And with consideration to Maine shoreland zoning regulations to protect natural resources.

The phone rings and the town manager, usually a one man or woman operation has taken the time to call. To remind you the car and pickup registration and on the snowsled trailer are running out next week. To let you know the new registrations are all typed out, ready when you are. And the amount.

Often, on the way home from work, a visit to the town manager’s home along the way happens.

For after hours sign here, need a check for blah blah amount. Or to pick up a Saturday morning hunting, fishing license.

The town manager and other elected officials in a small town are close knit, with a fierce love of the area. But rallying against forces in Augusta threatening to close the doors with not local but state regulation layers piled on life threatening high. They take care of their own Maine neighbors on a local level.

The Maine small town office, an old school house left vacant after merger with six other townships sometimes is full of food smells too.

Trips to a central USDA distribution center of surplus food means boxes are now being filled. Readied just in time for Thanksgiving for local Mainers on a low fixed income. Distributed to the elderly after this Sunday’s church service in the one and only house of worship.

Local town block grants for a septic system replacement with a small contribution from the low income home owner are carefully administered by the town manager and selectmen in a small Maine town. Where many hats are worn and like musical chairs, local taxpayers take their turn to contribute, serve. To make the small Maine town have the special community flavor that it does.

Spotlight on Maine towns Island Falls, ME, Aroostook County and Patten ME, Penobscot County.

I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker
207.532.6573
info@mooersrealty.com