Does your town have these fees?

[elston]

Originally Posted by Elcarim

What I don't get about our town is that, even though we are inside the city limits of Calais, we have no plowing or trash pick up on our lane. IN town, they do. And I'm pretty sure the properties here are taxed according to city limit rates. So.......we have to use the transfer station and pay $1.50/blue bag for household trash. The things we recycle are free, and they do have an extensive recycling program, which is great. They also allow dumping of larger items for "per drop" fees, ie. TVs cost $5 to drop off, etc.

But, inside the city limits with city limit rates, rules and taxes = NO city services? Not fair.

Is it a new road...has the town "accepted" the road? I am not sure what that means but I think sometimes a developer will put in a road to open up and develop his parcel of land....and the town has to "accept" the road before they provide services like plowing.

[Elcarim]

No, this house was built in '54. It's one of three homes on the lane. It's called a "private lane," but it has a street sign and the city taxes that go along with the privilege of being inside the city limits. I think that when you pay city taxes, you're entitled to city services. The city plows right up to the end of our lane. Calais city limits goes a good distance even further than we are. I don't understand the reasoning, and the owners and other neighbors say it's been the subject of debate with the city for years.

[maine4.us]

I'm not sure about the law in Maine, but in most states it is illegal to provide service to private roads. That's probably why they plow up to the lane. I imagine the road is actually an easement for property owners to use to access property. Same thing in Eastport. Our road is an easement, and no plowing by the city either. We have to pay the plow guy. When we get there for good, we will split the plowing with the other two houses on the easement.

[AustinB]

Originally Posted by Elcarim

No, this house was built in '54. It's one of three homes on the lane. It's called a "private lane," but it has a street sign and the city taxes that go along with the privilege of being inside the city limits. I think that when you pay city taxes, you're entitled to city services. The city plows right up to the end of our lane. Calais city limits goes a good distance even further than we are. I don't understand the reasoning, and the owners and other neighbors say it's been the subject of debate with the city for years.

You probably have a street sign because there are more than 1 house on that road/lane. (think 911) Not knowing the situation, it sounds like it is an older subdivision. Private road, not public.

Elstons thoughts sound about right.

[Maine Writer]

Originally Posted by Elcarim

No, this house was built in '54. It's one of three homes on the lane. It's called a "private lane," but it has a street sign and the city taxes that go along with the privilege of being inside the city limits. I think that when you pay city taxes, you're entitled to city services. The city plows right up to the end of our lane. Calais city limits goes a good distance even further than we are. I don't understand the reasoning, and the owners and other neighbors say it's been the subject of debate with the city for years.

It's private property, not owned by the city. My town doesn't plow private property either. As soon as damage occurred to private property the land owners here would start jumping all over us to pay for the repairs. Or, others would start demanding their private property be plowed too. It's brought up at town meeting every year. Are there different fees for "in" and "out" of the city limits there?

[SportFury59]

Same thing way over here in WI. About a half mile from me there is a dead end road a private developer put in about 15 years ago and there are 4 houses on road. For some reason road was never "accepted" by township. So road is not paved, not plowed, and the mailman will not drive down road. Mailboxes are clustered out at beginning of road. Garbage pickup I'm not sure of as I've never seen any dumpsters out by road.

[fxtrader]

In Windham we had to pay for our own trash pickup from a private company. In Westbrook trash pick-up is free. They used to have one clean up day for most any item they would come around and pick up curb side. That was canceled a couple of years ago. They still have a fall pickup for leaves bagged in bio degradable bags, it used to be spring and fall. Funny that taxes have more than tripled for us in the last 10 years and services have been reduced. They do have a nice shiney new police and fire station though!

[Northern Maine Land Man]

The entire state of Maine is broken down into townships or incorporated towns. Within towns there are year round town roads, seasonal town roads and private roads of various kinds. There are also some "paper streets" which are town owned land where the town thought they might want to develop a road in the future. It can be woods, a field or a nice lawn maintained by a homeowner. Sometimes the homeowner who does not get a copy of the survey is most displeased to find out that the property he bought does not include that nice lawn where he wants to build a garage.

Buyer beware.

[mainebrokerman]

Originally Posted by Maine Writer

It's private property, not owned by the city. My town doesn't plow private property either. As soon as damage occurred to private property the land owners here would start jumping all over us to pay for the repairs. Or, others would start demanding their private property be plowed too. It's brought up at town meeting every year. Are there different fees for "in" and "out" of the city limits there?

very good points mw,

also keep in mind, roads built years ago (on private propery) may not be up to the specs of a state road today,(for visibility, plowing, and safety vehicles)

many "developments" have association fees to cover expenses, such as plowing