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Maine Alliance for Road Associations

Snowplowing issue

  • 13 Jan 2015 8:07 AM
    Message # 3196137
    Deleted user

    We are a new non-profit corporation only road association that was just setup in Dec 2014. We have 5 landowners and about quarter mile of roadway. Prior to the road being transferred for us to manage, we had an verbal agreement with our plow guy. The new landowners (as of Jun 2013) at the entrance have decided not to pay their share since they have their own snowplow. Any suggestions on how to handle this issue will be appreciated. Should we establish a road maintenance agreement to include snowplowing for the future? Thanks.

  • 14 Jan 2015 6:09 AM
    Reply # 3198920 on 3196137
    Deleted user

    In the winter our road association takes into consideration the labor that people put into the road. People that plow pay nothing toward winter. We take into consideration the gas and wear and tear on vehicles. Those of us that don't plow take care of sanding and other problems as they occur. Maybe you could work something out with him to plow.

  • 20 Jan 2015 7:07 AM
    Reply # 3205313 on 3196137
    Deleted user

    Don't you have By-Laws?

  • 28 Jan 2015 8:00 PM
    Reply # 3212642 on 3196137
    Deleted user

    Yes we have bylaws but it does not specify how the costs/fees are to be divided between the landowners.  I thought that was the purpose of a maintenance agreement.

  • 31 Jan 2015 7:31 AM
    Reply # 3214674 on 3196137
    Deleted user

    Our non-profit corporation by-laws state this in Article XIV - Dues and Assessments......


    Section 1. Annual Dues. The members may determine from time to time the amount of annual dues payable to the Corporation by members.

    Section 2. Assessments. Assessments may be levied for paying the costs of protecting, preserving, care and maintenance of the Wilson View Drive.

    If your bylaws are like this then the Board of Directors should determine how much the road would cost for grading, plowing, insurance, office supplies, etc and make a budget proposal for the members to agree to pay as annual dues. If someone does not pay, as a corporation, you are entitled to put a lien on their home.

    But first you need a road maintenance agreement that spells out how the fees will be determined. That gets tricky. We have landowners that only have 75' frontage to over 500' frontage. 


  • 01 Feb 2015 11:59 AM
    Reply # 3215217 on 3196137

    We have By-Laws that state the same as you(we are 13b). Maintaining the road is for the purpose of gaining safe and reliable access to each lot owners property all year. We live on a steep hill. No lakes. The maintenance agreement we have for plowing and sanding is strictly with our contractor approved by the Board of Directors yearly. The cost is part of the annual assessment.

    I don't understand your need of a separate maintenance agreement based on lot owners frontage. Does the plowing include lot owners driveways or some other individual need therefor costs vary?

    Our association just plows and sands the association's road.

  • 01 Feb 2015 5:18 PM
    Reply # 3215408 on 3215217
    Deleted user
    Mike McEvoy wrote:I don't understand your need of a separate maintenance agreement based on lot owners frontage. Does the plowing include lot owners driveways or some other individual need therefor costs vary?

    Our association just plows and sands the association's road.

    Mike, by that I meant that there are different views of how owners should be assessed. Some think it should be how much road frontage each property abuts the road, others think one fee should be for seasonal owners vs year-round residents due to snowplowing issues, and others feel that the road maintenance costs should be equally divided among all owners regardless of frontage or usage. Ours is the last.

    The key word is "benefited." All owners are benefited by having road access to their property so the last is the least headache for the Board to have to deal with when assessing dues in my opinion.

                            The Maine Alliance for Road Associations


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