The Private Ways Statute, §3101, subparagraph 4. Voting, begins: “Each parcel of land…represents one vote under this section; …”
The MARA Board has recently been considering how subparagraph 4. Voting, should be handled in practice and have asked Attorneys Denison and Cunningham for confirmation of what follows.
The key here is in the definition of a "parcel". Attorney Cliff Goodall has stated, "A parcel that constitutes the operative ownership piece for this statute is something that can be defined by each Road Association. …” (MARA Resources Page, Item 7, Cliff Goodall's Talk). If this is the case, then the owners in each road association can arrive at a definition that meets their needs.
In my statutory road association which has 10 parcels , 1 owner has three lots, 2 others have 2 lots, and the remaining owners have one each. It made sense to us to limit the voting power of each owner so that we might have a "fair and equitable" majority vote. Here is the definition we approved in our by-laws:
"A parcel as defined herein will include property that meets at least one of the following criteria: 1. A single property (lot) representing sole ownership interest in the Association. 2. Multiple properties with an owner in common. 3. Any property that contains a dwelling unit comprised of a bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen. Property meeting two of the above will be defined by criterion 3."
We assess a parcel without a dwelling unit at 1/2 share. I hope this helps.