Opinion ID: 1969096
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Unconstitutional Taking of Property

Text: [¶ 12] Cottle claims that the sewer moratorium's limitation to two sewer hook-ups per year was an unconstitutional taking of its property. Under Maine's home rule statute, a temporary moratorium to restrict access to a public sewer system is an exercise of the Town's police power, 30-A M.R.S.A. § 3001 (Supp.1995); see Tisei v. Town of Ogunquit, 491 A.2d 564, 569-71 (Me.1985). Government regulation that exacts costs from private business does not work an impermissible regulatory taking as long as it is a reasonable use of the police power. Maine Beer & Wine Wholesalers Ass'n v. State, 619 A.2d 94, 99 (Me.1993). Other courts have held specifically that developers have no common law rights to available sewer capacity, Cumberland Village Hous. Assoc. v. Town of Cumberland, 609 F.Supp. 1481, 1484 n. 1 (D.Me.1985) (town may deny applications to reserve capacity for future use (citing Tisei, 491 A.2d 564), and that sewer moratoria constitute attempts to prevent public harms rather than creations of public benefit for which property owners' attendant losses must be compensated). Smoke Rise, Inc. v. Washington Suburban Sanitary Comm'n, 400 F.Supp. 1369, 1382 (D.Md.1975). [¶ 13] In addition, Cottle's position is compromised by its failure to apply for any sewer permits or for a decision from the Town regarding application of the moratorium to the development. Waltman v. Town of Yarmouth, 592 A.2d 1079, 1079 n. 2 (Me. 1991). Simply put, the takings claim presented no issue for determination. Mac-Donald, Sommer & Frates v. County of Yolo, 477 U.S. 340, 348-51, 106 S.Ct. 2561, 2565-67, 91 L.Ed.2d 285 (1986) (a final and authoritative determination of the development legally permitted is an essential prerequisite to assertion of a regulatory takings claim); Agins v. Tiburon, 447 U.S. 255, 260, 100 S.Ct. 2138, 2141, 65 L.Ed.2d 106 (1980) (no concrete controversy regarding application of ordinance until an application is submitted and decided upon).