Commissioners discuss potential legislation

By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
    FORT KENT — Aroostook County is known for its size, and with the largest county east of the Mississippi River comes the largest Unorganized Territories (UTs) of the state — at roughly 2.5 million acres, the UTs of Aroostook County represent about 25 percent of the states total UTs.
    Bearing that percentage in mind, the Aroostook County Commissioners have been following LD 1534 pretty closely. Titled “An Act to Reform the Land Use and Planning Authority in the Unorganized Territories,” the bill aims to transfer land use regulation responsibilities of the state’s UTs from the Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) to county officials. Solid details regarding how the potential bill could impact the county remain vague, as the bill is headed for a study commission this summer and recommendations on LD 1534 are suggested to be made to the house during the second regular session next year.
    Aroostook County Commissioners continue actively engaging in preliminary discussions regarding the bill, as the possibility exists that land use regulation (and funding of the new responsibilities) could be placed on the shoulders of the county commissioners; at this point in the legislation’s life, however, it’s too early to tell whether or not LD 1534 will be molded to drastically shape the current LURC program.
    Aroostook County Administrator Douglas Beaulieu also presented the commissioners with an update on LD 1499, “An Act Concerning Fees for Users of County Registries of Deeds” and LD 1419 “An Act to Improve the Coordination of State and County Correctional Services” during their meeting on June 1.
    While the commissioners are closely watching the progress of legislation this summer, they were also given an update by Director of Public Works Paul Bernier regarding construction projects in Sinclair.
    As reported by Bernier, the Sinclair Housing Rehabilitation Project looks to be moving along quite well and all rehabilitation efforts are scheduled for completion by September.
    There were a total of 21 applications for the Housing Assistance Program funded by a U.S. Department of Agriculture Community Development Block Grant (CDBG); all 16 approved applications will most likely receive assistance before this fall.
    Bernier also informed the commissioners of a municipal grant and aid program application submitted by the county for the Sinclair ATV Club. If the application is approved for the suggested amount — $30,694 for a five-phase project to improve and upgrade the area’s trails — the program will cover 70 percent of the amount with the club matching the remaining 30 percent.