NY Troop Trailer Registration through Maine

[Deaf Scouter]

My newbie Equipment Chair blew me away today with the TOTALLY unexpected.. registering our Troop trailer through the state of Maine. We are a NY Troop.... *shaking head in total bafflement of where ideas come and the solution to a 'simple' question.

 

It was a simple request from me at our April committee meeting to get the trailer registration cost for May's committee meeting as it hasn't been registered in a couple years. Size has an impact on not registering it plus not doing campouts as we should. I want the OUTING back in ScOUTING and our equipment with us hence the reason for asking the registration cost to stick it in our budget planning for next year.

 

This is totally new to me and I really got nervous on the Maine's paperwork of needing a Power of Attorney. Anyone else know policies: National, Council and etc. That I should be considering? Pros/cons?? ETC,etc,etc????

 

(Am I the only one that feels.. Geeze now I gotta research this when here I thought I was learning the arts of delegation and teaching people this is part of your committee position of responsibility... *smiles while whistling)

[eisely]

Is Maine some kind of tax haven for vehicle registrations? I know that off and on over the years New Yorkers have registered passenger cars is Southern states that had much lower fees. Perhaps this is the motivation. Think of John Kerry docking his new yacht in Rhode Island to avoid Massachusetts property taxes.

 

Who actually owns this trailer?

[Unkiewill]

It is MUCH cheaper to register your trailer in Maine than almost anywhere else. A lot of trucking companies use Maine to register their trailers. It sounds strange but it is nothing unusual. There are companies that specialize in setting this up. They need a power of attorney so they can act in your behalf with the DMV in Maine if you are based in another state. So you have nothing to worry about there.

 

What would bother me is that you just assigned him the task of researching the cost and he took it upon himself to go so far beyond that. He should have presented this solution with an explanation before running off and doing it all himself. But he did probably save the troop a couple of hundred dollars over the next five years.

[qwazse]

total bafflement of where ideas come

 

Actually, young George Washington acquired his land holdings by registering deeds with whatever colony was convenient -- and, no doubt least expensive -- to process the title. (E.g., a title in W.Pa. could be drawn up in the colony of Maine.)

[Deaf Scouter]

Unkie Will...

Sorry for the misunderstanding. Equipment Chair hasn't actually registered the trailer. It was the idea that he researched and spent so much time on. He hit me up with it today when I got a million things to do for a campout that takes place tomorrow. (Shows how my mind is on so many things if I can't be clear in how I word my posting... *smiles)

 

 

I really have a problem with this and really would like to know how many others have actually done this? Seems risky with how often committee positions change and etc. Power of Attorney is something one shouldn't play with especially to strangers in my honest opinion. How many of us have actually done our own lives with strangers by giving power of attorney? So how many here have ACTUALLY done this.. registered their Troop trailer in another state??

[Unkiewill]

Deaf Scouter - I should have read your post a little closer, sorry.

 

I have only know of business that have done this, not scout troops. The church that my troop is associated with does not want a trailer registered to the troop because of liability issues. So it was registered in the name of the SM when it was purchased. Years later it is still in his name and he takes care of the registration for us every year but it is registered in our own state. We are thinking of making a special knot for him with a little trailer on it or possibly one that looks like a little license plate. (I am totally kidding about that.)

[Deaf Scouter]

*laughing at Unkie Will Trailer knot idea...*laughing

 

Better yet make either a Patrol patch with a Trailer logo or a Position of Responsibility patch like Scoutmaster's/Committee member with a Trailer logo with a quirky position name as a way of THANKS along with a certificate at one of your Court of Honors.. *winka (I'm totally NOT kidding.. *laughing)

[moxieman]

I live in Maine. I'm surprised trailers are cheap here. Cars are NOT. Excise tax is based on a percentage of the MSRP of your vehicle when it rolled off the assembly line, regardless of how long ago that was or which # owner you are of the vehicle. The percentage decreases for x number of years, but it is based on that MSRP that hardly anyone ever pays for a vehicle.

 

That said, as much as I'd appreciate you giving our state a little extra money, it may not be setting a proper example to the scouts. Yes, this would be thrifty, but it could also be skirting around local laws.

 

I don't know what they are in NY, but if you are a ME resident and register your vehicle in another state (like in NH where it's a lot cheaper) and are caught (like what happens in a lot of border towns between here and NH), the resulting fine is a lot higher than just registering it here in ME to begin with.

 

[nldscout]

As a NY resident, retired SM, Owner of several trailers, I cannot preceive any reason to do this.

 

The cost of registering a trailer in NY runs between 12 and 45 dollars a year. I cannot beleive that Maine would be that much cheaper.

[Eamonn]

Not sure about other parts of the country.

But here in PA try to register things like boats, trailers in the name of a Scout unit can be a real pain.

Seems to be and I'm 100% sure on this one. That a Troop not real in the eyes of the State. It doesn't have the ID that will go through the system.

A church or an organization has the needed qualifications, but a Troop doesn't.

So very often things like trailers are registered in the name of a person.

Trailers in PA do need a yearly inspection, which normally isn't a big problem, once they are registered.

Insurance can be bothersome.

There are so many half truths and misunderstandings it really is worth the time to talk to someone who really knows what they are talking about.

There was a terrible tragedy in our area a few years back the details? I'm a little fuzzy about! But I think it was a truck towing a wood chipper. The chipper wasn't connected properly and got lose which caused an accident that killed 3 people two of them very young kids.

When it comes down to anything that involves the law or the state it just isn't worth playing games as there is a chance that it will come back and very might might bite you on the tail.

Talk to people who know what they are talking about and follow their advice.

Ea.

[Eagle732]

I have a 10,000 lb. flatbed trailer that I tag through Maine for probably 1/5 the cost of a tag in my home state of Maryland.

12 year ME tag $189, a 2 year MD tag is $180.

Individuals, businesses and organizations (including troops) can register trailers in Maine.(This message has been edited by Eagle732)

[ScoutNut]

Power of Attorney has to come from the owner of the vehicle. In your case that should be the Charter Organization that owns the Troop.

 

I would give the Committee Chair, and Charter Organization Rep, the information and let them take it from there with the Charter Org.

[Deaf Scouter]

Let me ask this as it brought up again and I can see how one track mind things are going. I don't seem to be getting my point across as they all look at the money angle: $99.00 for 5 year as steal

 

For this SM newbie...

What name is on the Troop trailer registration form and title?

 

Where should the registration, title and etc be mailed to?

 

What other consideration should one know about Troop trailer? Who should one look for in a Troop Equipment chair?

 

This is a troop that is going through transition as well as experienced and newbie committee members still learning their jobs plus seeing the big picture of charter and rules and regulations pertaining to National, Council, charter organization and their Committee roles.

 

 

[nldscout]

I have to tell you this sounds fishy to me. Most trailers that are registered in Maine are commercial trailers and are registered by corporations.

 

$99 for 5 years is Roughly $20.00 a year. Assuming this is a standard Troop size trailer in NY your going to pay around 20-25 dollars. One of ours is $19 for 6x10 and the heavy one which is 8x14 is $34.

 

So for all the issues of having an out of state registration, which may not be legal either, is it worth maybe $5 a year.

[T2Eagle]

There is more to the trailer than just the registration; you need to understand the ownership and insurance and how all three affect each other.

 

For us the troop owns the trailer and carries insurance on it. I don't entirely understand it, but in OH you don't need to be a formally incorporated entity to own, register, and insure vehicles.

 

As to being a NY troop registering in ME --- if it all works, it's all legal, and you can proudly say you're being trustworthy than I don't see any kind of ethical problem. You can draft a Power of Attorney very narrowly so that it grants the power only for the purpose of registering the vehicle and nothing else. But being Thrifty doesn't refer just to money, for myself it would need to be a pretty big cost savings to justify that much hassle and complexity.