MACHIAS — The Washington County Commission has authorized its manager of the county’s unorganized territories to approve certain liquor license applications directly, bypassing the need for commission approval.
UT Supervisor Heron Weston told commissioners Thursday, July 9, that at a recent meeting of Maine’s UT managers, he realized many face the same issues as municipalities across the state, such as emergency medical services and animal control access.
Weston noted one unique UT challenge: There are “a lot of citizens who think they live in big cities” and want the same level of services as more urban areas.
The observation drew laughter from the audience and all three commissioners.
Weston said the current approval process for liquor licenses in the unorganized territories can delay event organizers who must wait for the commission’s monthly meetings. He asked commissioners to authorize him to approve these one-off event licenses, suggesting that annual business applications continue to go before the commission, similar to Portland’s process.
Commissioners approved Weston’s request by consensus.
Weston also proposed exploring a regional animal control system with shared duties between municipalities and nearby unorganized territories. One animal control officer now covers all of Washington County’s unorganized territories for a flat $4,800 annual fee. While calls are rare, Weston said travel can be extreme and that sharing officers across close geographic areas makes more sense than splitting duties.
Commissioners agreed to discuss the proposal at a later meeting.
Commissioners also approved spending $270,123 from the county’s Downeast Management Tax Increment Financing, or TIF, account to buy a brush truck. The truck, which could take seven to 12 months to be delivered, is expected to serve the unorganized territories and certain fire departments, including the Epping Volunteer Fire District in Columbia.
In other matters, Commissioner Billy Howard recommended establishing a committee to discuss separating the Emergency Management Agency office and the Regional Communications Center, which are housed in two connected buildings. Howard urged the county to sell the unused, unheated older section of the EMA office before unexpected maintenance costs arise.
The commission supported Howard’s suggestion and said it will form a committee.
Provisional Treasurer Grace Falzarano also reported that the Finance Department has been meeting with department heads to start work on the 2027 budget. Commissioners are expected to get their first look at the budget during a workshop later this month.
