An Act To Promote Intergovernmental Cooperation, Cost Savings and Efficiencies
Maine Legislature, Session 121, LD 1930
Committee: Regionalization and Community Cooperation pursuant to Joint Order, S

Legislative Document 
No. 1930 
S.P.767 
In Senate, March 16, 2004 
An Act To Promote Intergovernmental Cooperation, Cost Savings 
and Efficiencies 
Reported by Senator DAMON of Hancock for the Joint Select Committee on 
Regionalization and Community Cooperation pursuant to Joint Order, S.P. 689. 
Reference to the Joint Select Committee on Regionalization and Community Cooperation 
suggested and ordered printed under Joint Rule 218. 
Printed on recycled paper 
JOY J. O'BRIEN 
Secretary of the Senate 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
CONCEPT DRAFT 
SUMMARY 
This bill is a concept draft pursuant to Joint Rule 208. 
This bill proposes to do the following. 
1. It would require that each of the state, county and 
municipal governments pay for those services that it requires be 
provided. 
This does not include Federal Government mandates and 
mandates related to education. 
2. It would establish the Intergovernmental Advisory Group 
to study ways to reduce duplication and improve efficiency among 
all 3 levels of government in the State as well as wi thin each 
level of government; to promote communication, cooperation and 
efficient delivery of services; to provide state resources for 
guidance, technical support and incentives to regionalize; and to 
work with local and regional entities to design and implement 
pilot projects that result in cost savings and improved services 
through regionalization or other efficiency efforts. 
The advisory group would have the following representation: 
A. 
Five members from State Government, 
of whom must be 
commissioners and 2 of whom must be Legislators not of the 
same political party; 
B. 
Five members who must be officials representing regional 
governments, 
of whom must be county officials and 2 of 
whom must represent regional planning agencies, councils of 
government or other regional bodies; and 
C. 
Five members who must be officers representing municipal 
governments, 3 of whom must be municipal officials and 2 of 
whom 
must 
represent 
school 
districts 
or 
other 
special-purpose 
districts 
that 
represent 
or 
more 
municipalities. 
3. 
It would encourage the adoption of a county charter by 
streamlining the procedure for initiating a charter commission 
and removing all statutory limits on charter powers. 
The changes 
to accomplish this include the following: 
A. 
Changing language in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 
30-A, chapter 11, subchapter 3 to remove limits on charter 
powers and to provide that a county that adopts a charter 
may have home rule. 
This provision would not change the 
constitutional requirements regarding the election of county 
sheriffs and judges and registers of probate. 
It also would 
not exempt counties from state mandates; and 
B. 
Removing the requirement that county residents vote to 
initiate 
a 
charter 
commission 
and 
allowing 
a 
charter 
commission 
to 
be 
initiated 
either 
by 
the 
county 
commissioners or a citizens' petition. 
Citizens would still 
be required to vote on the final adoption of the charter. 
4. 
It would increase 
$2.20 per $1,000 of property 
of property value per party. 
the real estate transfer tax from 
value per party to $3.00 per $1,000 
All additional funds raised through 
the real estate transfer tax as a result of this increase would 
be deposited into a dedicated fund to provide grants to promote 
regional 
efforts. 
This 
fund 
would 
be 
administered 
by 
the 
Intergovernmental Advisory Group, 
as established in this bill. 
Groups of municipalities, councils of government and regional 
planning commissions may apply for grants. 
A county may also 
apply for a grant if it adopts a charter and if it submits a plan 
for regional cooperation. 
5. 
It would create tax districts for multiple towns to join 
together for the purpose of assessing and collecting taxes as a 
single entity. 
A county may also serve as a tax district for 
this purpose. 
Residents of the towns or the county must vote to 
decide 
on 
whether 
to 
create 
a 
taxing 
district. 
The 
Intergovernmental Advisory Group may provide grants to assist in 
the development of a proposed taxing district. 
6. 
It would transfer a portion of the Highway Fund that 
funds 
State Police patrol 
to 
towns 
that 
do 
not 
have 
local 
police. 
Those towns would then contract with the county for 
sheriff patrol services. The portion of the Highway Fund to be 
transferred for this purpose would be based on the following 
funding formula for each county sheriff's patrol budget: 
Fifty 
percent of the budget must be collected from the residents that 
receive the benefit and 50% must be collected through the Highway 
Fund. 
7. 
It would encourage counties to work together on regional 
projects, such as communications centers and regional jails, by 
amending or clarifying statute to give all political subdivisions 
of the State broad authority to work together. 
8. 
It would tie the 
award of transportation 
municipali ties to the development of coherent regional 
policies. 
9. 
It would remove statutory references to: 
funds 
to 
land use 
A. 
Salaries of county officials: 
B. 
Directives on how often county boards and commissions 
hold hearings: and 
C. 
Involvement of the legislative delegation in the county 
budget process. 
10. 
It would create 4 pilot projects to: 
A. 
Create municipal 
unions 
to 
allow multiple 
towns 
to 
consolidate their administrative functions 
into 
a 
single 
unit while allowing each town to retain its identity and 
form of governance. 
This option would be voluntary; 
B. 
Work with state agencies to permit towns to file joint 
reports 
and 
audits 
when 
they 
are 
working 
together 
administratively; 
C. 
Promote the use of councils of governments and promote 
the 
involvement of 
councils of governments 
and 
regional 
planning commissions with counties: and 
D. 
Assist the "Beginning with Habitat" program to make more 
effective use of wildlife information across town boundaries 
through a regional habitat planning pilot project.