BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 11, 2025
Two Maine municipalities are taking votes within the next week to continue the deorganizing process — Maxfield in Penobscot County and Highland Plantation in Somerset County. Deorganizing is the process to formally eliminate a town government and join Maine’s unorganized territory through 12 steps that can take up to two years to complete. When a town dissolves itself, the remaining services citizens receive are split between the county and the state. Many small towns across the state with low populations suffer from limited resident participation, both in filling positions and voting in local elections, which can make local government stagnant and ineffective. Thin budgets and escalating costs hurt local services while declining populations cannot raise enough money to keep them operating.