Residents of private roads, which have been open to public use for six or more years, may now petition selectmen to provide temporary repairs such as filling holes, oiling surfaces, resurfacing and drainage installation. Voters at the May town meeting approved the new practice of using public funds to repair private roads if 51 percent of the landowners abutting the road sign a petition for repair. Last week, selectmen approved the new petition form and decided each petition will be valid for three fiscal years. The new practice is pending approval by the state attorney general for action taken at town meeting, after which, residents may obtain petition forms from the town administrator’s office.
Despite that I voted against the measure at town meeting, I think my dad and I ought to sign one of those petitions, just to see what they might do to our road… :)
You know, this is how all the pork gets into congressional bills. All the politicians are stealing money from taxpayers, so hey, you should steal money for projects in your own area. And since everyone’s doing it, if a politician has the guts not to, their own constituents get mad because they are not sending money back home.
So maybe we should just decide, Yes, the money might be available, but it is not right for us to ask for it.
The vote was just on allowing people to petition and allowing the town to perform the work. There’s no specific funding for this improving-private-roads thing.
As we discovered when building our house, the Highway Department is what decides what does and doesn’t happen in town. :)