An Act To Provide Requirements for Towns To Deorganize
Maine Legislature, Session 121, LD 1290
Committee: State and Local Government
Sponsors: KNEELAND

Legislative Document 
No. 1290 
S.P.421 
In Senate, March 11, 2003 
An Act To Provide Requirements for Towns To Deorganize 
Reference to the Committee on State and Local Government suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Senator KNEELAND of Aroostook. 
Printed on recycleu paper 
JOY J. O'BRIEN 
Secretary of the Senate 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. I. 30·A MRSA §720I·A is enacted to read: 
§720l-A. 
Deorganization requirements 
Before 
a 
municipality 
is 
eligible 
to 
deorganize, 
the 
following requirements must be met: 
1. 
Fifty percent requirement. 
At least 50% of the boundary 
of the municipality must 
be 
contiguous with the 
unorganized 
territories. 
The 
Maine 
Land Use 
Regulation Commission shall 
determine whether the 50% requirement is met: 
2. 
Population. 
The municipality may not have a population 
of more than 200 residents: 
3. 
Budget deficit. 
The municipality may not have a budget 
def ici t: 
4. 
Municipal roads. 
Municipal roads must be in compliance 
with state standards: and 
5. 
Municipal 
property. 
Municipal 
officers 
and 
the 
commission must identify all real and personal property owned by 
the municipality that is necessary to fulfill the functions of 
public 
service 
requirements 
for 
the 
county 
in 
which 
the 
municipality is located. 
All property that does not meet this 
standard 
must 
be 
sold 
prior 
to 
the 
completion 
of 
the 
deorganization. 
Sec. 2. 30·A MRSA §7202, first ~, as enac ted by PL 1989, c. 
216, §2, is amended to read: 
The 
voters 
of 
any 
municipality 
may 
petition 
for 
consideration of deorganization of the municipality by fOllowing 
the petition procedure of section 2528, subsection 5. 
On the 
written petition of a number of voters equal to at least lG% 50% 
of the number of votes cast in the municipality at the last 
gubernatorial election, but in no case less than 10, requesting a 
municipal meeting for the purpose of discussing and determining 
whether 
the 
municipality 
should 
deorganize, 
the 
municipal 
officers shall call and hold a special meeting in the manner 
provided for the calling and holding of town meetings or city 
elections to discuss deorganization of the municipality and to 
decide whether to develop a deorganization procedure. 
Sec. 3. 30·A MRSA §7209, as enacted by PL 1989, c. 216, §2, 
is amended to read: 
§7209. 
Final approval by the voters 
Page l-LR0963(1) 
If the Legislature approves the deorganization, the question 
concerning deorganization shall must be presented to the voters 
e~--t-he--ml:H~ieil"alit:y of the county in which the municipality is 
located in the next general election to be held in November. 
The 
election shall must be called, advertised and conducted according 
to section 6968-e~-699l 61, 251, 938 or 1324. 
1. 
Question posed to voters. 
The fRbl.Hieil"al county clerk 
shall prepare the ballots on which the following question shall 
must appear: 
"Shall the (name of municipality) be deorganized?" 
2. 
Requirements for approva1. 
The voters shall indicate 
their opinion on this question by a cross or check mark placed 
against the word "Yes" or "No." 
Before becoming effective, the 
deorganization must be approved by at least 2/3 of the voters 
voting in the general election and the total number of votes cast 
for 
and against deorganization at the election must equal or 
exceed 50% of the total number of votes cast in the fRbl.Hieil"alit:y 
county for Governor at the last gubernatorial election. 
3. 
Dec1aration of resu1ts. 
The fRbl.Hieil"al county officers 
shall declare the result of the vote. 
The fRbl.Hieil"al county clerk 
e~--t-he- assessD-r-6---G-:f-l"±aHt:at:ieHs shall file a certificate of the 
election result with the Secretary of State within 10 days of the 
election. 
SUMMARY 
This bill provides a set of requirements that a municipality 
must meet in order to be eligible to deorganize. 
It also expands 
voter eligibility on final approval of the deorganization to all 
registered voters of the county in which the municipality is 
located.