Town Manager

Town Manager – William Kitchen

The Machias Town Office has temporarily moved to 17 Stackpole Drive

phone # 207-255-6621/8683

7 Court Street, Suite #1
P.O. Box 418
Machias,  Maine 04654

Monday Through Friday
Phone:  207-255-6621
Fax: 207-255-6492

Email: kitchsync@gmail.com

Welcome to the website for the Town of Machias.

The Town of Machias was incorporated on June 23, 1775 and was named as the Shiretown of Washington County in 1790.   The Town is comprised of 14.80 square miles consisting of 13.87 square miles of land and .93 square mile of water.

The Town operates under the Town Manager Plan as defined in M.R.S.A. Title 30-A § 2631. The Town has an Annual Town Meeting, an elected five member Board of Selectmen, and an elected five member School Committee.  The Town Manager is an appointed position.

The Town Manager serves as the Airport Manager, Economic and Community Development Director, the General Assistance Director, the Harbormaster, Public Information Officer,  Tax Collector, and the Treasurer.

Duties & Responsibilities

The Town Manager is the Chief Administrative Officer responsible to the Board of Selectmen for the proper administration of the affairs of the Town and daily operations of Town departments.

Additional Links

 


2023 Town Manager’s Report

To the Residents of Machias:

The past twelve months of 2022/2023 were filled with numerous challenges and achievements for our community, as we moved past Covid yet continued to deal with the after-effects including supply chain issues, labor shortages, and dramatically increasing costs of goods. A general increase in rain, snow, and ice-driven weather events added to both the demand and expense of mitigation and repair, and a need to update our police and ambulance compensation to ensure their stability and sustainability, weighed further on our fiscal fortitude.

Nonetheless this was a growth year as our distressed housing stock was dramatically reduced, our population grew as did our number of businesses, and our tax base expanded in number and value.

Some of our other notable highlights included:

• The Versant SubStation on the south side of Bad Little Falls Park was removed after decades as a most prominent eyesore. This was accomplished through a unique land use swap where the Town was able to utilize a tax acquired property to facilitate a relocated substation.

• We added several new traditions to our signature Margaretta Days, Wild Blueberry Fest, Bad Little Falls Summer Concert Series, July 4th Festivities, and Trick or Treat On Main Street including a towering Christmas tree on the bridges, a giant American flag flying from a 140 foot crane on patriotic and Veteran holidays, and the ATV Jamboree.

• New apartments, townhouses, and homes were built as several of our area contractors became developers, helping fuel growth and serving increased demand.

• Many of our existing businesses expanded their size and services, and numerous new
businesses opened up shop both on Main Street and beyond.

• We continue to attract attention downstate and nationally, as we strive to be a leader in rural development, vitality, and sustainability.

• The airport opened its new fuel farm, which is adding to revenue and operations. We are also finally moving forward with the environmental assessment for the longer runway that will accommodate both Lifeflight of Maine and expanded commercial traffic, and we are in the final design phase for the new taxi lane and hangar project.

• We purchased a new-to-us Heavy Rescue Fire Truck and all new equipment including air
packs and jaws of life, using federal Covid ARPA funds.

I’d also like to thank and recognize our remarkable and enviable team of talent, who continue to step up to new challenges and greater responsibilities as our Town continues to grow. I cannot be more proud, and honored, to work with such a dedicated crew, committed to a clear and simple mission every day – Make Here Better.

And I am proud to say we continue to be one of the few municipalities statewide that are fully staffed, across the board, including part-time. That says a lot about our team.

A special thanks to our Select-board, for their vision, positive attitude, and commitment, our Budget Committee, Planning Board, Appeals Board, the School Board and school
administrators, the many volunteers and members of our numerous civic committees, and of course our local businesses.

Going forward we will continue to double down on economic development and a continued increase in resident and community services, leverage opportunities to reduce our tax burden and expand our tax base, and endeavor to be the “poster partner” to myriad local, regional, state and federal organizations in an effort to realize more game-changing improvements.

Together we move our community forward.

Thank you for your trust.

Sincerely,
Bill Kitchen
Machias Town Manager