Last week a petition was taken out in Wiscasset to form a study committee to look at options to the current three member board of selectmen form of government.

This week another petition effort is underway in Alna to simply do away with the town altogether.

Alna resident Jim Bergman announced this week (see Letters To The Editor) that he will seek support from fellow residents to deorganize the town in an effort to control spending.

In some ways the two efforts are related. In Alna's case, there has been a significant rise in the cost of paying for town government. This is a direct result of the domino effect caused by the closing of Maine Yankee. For years the atomic power plant paid 90 per cent of Wiscasset's taxes, enabling the town to provide subsidized services like schooling to smaller towns like Alna and Westport. Thus, when Maine Yankee officials decided to close the plant 10 years early, Wiscasset wasn't the only town that had to start finding ways to cut taxes.

Property Taxes Have Gone Up 10 Times Since 1977

Bergman said this week that property taxes in Alna have risen 10 times since 1977; he gives an example of a $230 property tax bill in 1977 which has now climbed to over $2,000.

"At this rate, the average taxpayer in Alna will be up over $3,000 in the next 10 years, with no end in sight," Bergman said.

"By deorganizing, your property taxes would be cut in half. Since basically we have no more services today than in 1977 (in fact we have less since the closing of our dump) why should be continue to pay every increasing taxes for -- what?" Bergman asks.

Commenting on the psychological effect of a move to do away with the town, Bergman said, "For those who will cite tradition as a reason (for keeping the town), stop and think how much can we afford just to be the town of Alna instead of the township of Alna?"

The process of deorganizing a town is spelled out in Maine law (Title 30 A, Chapter 302). The first step is to petition the selectmen, who then call a special town meeting to decide whether to develop a deorganization procedure.

The petition must have 10 per cent of the voters who cast ballots in the town's last gubernatorial election.

The agenda for the special town meeting includes a discussion on deorganization, a vote on whether to pursue the deorganization process, and if there is an affirmative vote, the creation of a deorganization committee to consist of one selectman, one school committee member, and three Alna voters, elected at that meeting.

A specific procedure the committee must follow is outlined in the law; within 90 days of the meeting the committee must submit a deorganization proposal to the state.

Following the state's acceptance of the proposal, a public hearing is called, followed by a second special town meeting. If voters approve deorganization at this secind special town meeting, notice is sent to the state legislature, which must approve it. If approved, the measure then goes before the voters at the next general election held in November.

Approval at the general election must be by a two thirds vote, and the total vote must equal half the total number of votes cast in the town's last gubernatorial election.

If the town becomes a township, Lincoln County Commissioners can provide or contract for fire protection, dump services, roads and bridges, polling places, law enforcement, and any other administrative services that may be necessary.

The process will take about two years, according to Bergman.