About The County Commissioners

The voters in each of Maine's 16 counties elect three, five or seven commissioners to four-year terms to oversee the operation of county government. Each commissioner serves a separate district within the county. Commissioners, as the counties' chief elected officials, are ultimately responsible for the fiscal operations and policy decisions affecting county government. Additional duties include municipal tax abatement appeals and hearings on maintenance of town roads. They also serve, in effect, as the municipal officials in Maine's many unorganized territories.

Role of County Government

County Government is Maine’s oldest form of government, pre-dating statehood and even the Declaration of Independence. The County is the only form of regional government whose officials are directly elected by the voters. There has always been a role for county government, providing democratic institutions that operate at the regional level between municipalities and the state. This briefly describes the many functions of county government today. If you would like to know more about county government, click the link to the right or below to visit the Maine County Commissioners Association (MCCA) website.