Dresden Voters Approve New Business Licenses, Reject Ordinance Changes

Dresden voters approved a new business license requirement and sale of the town’s grader and rejected changes to the town’s land use and development ordinance regarding mobile homes during a special town meeting on Tuesday, May 24.

The discussion among the more than 20 residents grew spirited at times, prompting Town Administrator Daniel Swain, who also moderated the meeting, to pound the lectern and call for order on a few occasions.

Voters rejected a proposed ban on mobile homes more than 20 years old from moving into a mobile home park in town. The ban would have only applied to mobile home parks and any existing mobile home in town would have been grandfathered.

A chief concern among residents was that the age of a mobile home is an arbitrary distinction that does not necessarily signify the condition of the structure.

“You can’t judge a trailer by its years,” said resident John Doray.

Doray mentioned that customers cannot buy a trailer that is less than 20 years old for less than $55,000. “That does limit a lot of people who are just starting out,” he said.

Amy Gagne passed around some pictures of 30-year-old trailers that were in good condition. She said she doesn’t think age should be a determining factor in assessing whether a mobile home is livable or usable.

She said a new mobile home cost $96,000 in March.

“With the significant housing crisis that we’re having right now, I don’t think this is an appropriate time to limit the homes that can come into the community,” Gagne said.

Voters also rejected an ordinance change that would have required mobile home park owners to notify the town of any sale or transfer of a mobile home with 10 days and provide the town with a list of current residents annually.

The change would have also required a park owner to receive a written statement from the tax collector “stating that no tax liens, tax assessments or other assessments are levied” against a mobile home before it can be sold or moved. This would have applied to mobile homes that had been established in the town for at least six months.

A violation of this section would have incurred a fine between $250 and $500.

Residents expressed concern that if a mobile home park owner does not provide a completely accurate list of residents, they could be liable for a fine.

Swain explained that this change would help to better assess property values in town.

Voters approved a new business license system that would charge $40 initially and $10 each year for renewal. Businesses already operating in town must now obtain a business license under this section for $10.

Dresden Planning Board Chair Jeff Pierce has said that the purpose of the business license system is to keep track of what businesses are operating in the town.

After a lengthy discussion in which Pierce explained some minor proposed changes to article 5, section 4 of the land use ordinance, residents voted in approval.

The depth of any newly created lot with a road frontage of 200 feet or less shall not exceed three times the minimum width unless a subdivision plan is provided, according to the ordinance. Previously, the maximum road frontage in this section was 300 feet.

This change also eliminated a section on electrical inspection since Dresden’s code enforcement officer cannot perform them under the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code. The term “certificate of occupancy” was also changed to “certificate of compliance” to align with the state code.

“We’re removing the stuff we can’t enforce,” Pierce said.

During the Dresden Select Board meeting after the special town meeting, the board approved a request for proposals that asks for sealed bids starting at $15,000 for the town’s 1979 John Deere grader.

The next regular meeting of the Dresden Select Board will be held at Pownalborough Hall at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 7.