An Act To Amend the Laws Governing Sagadahoc County Commissioner Elections and Budget Hearings
Maine Legislature, Session 121, LD 0898
Committee: State and Local Government
Sponsors: MAYO, PERCY, WATSON

12lst MAINE LEGISLATURE 
Legislative Document 
No. 898 
S.P.293 
In Senate, February 20, 2003 
An Act To Amend the Laws Governing Sagadahoc County 
Commissioner Elections and Budget Hearings 
Reference to the Committee on State and Local Government suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Senator MAYO of Sagadahoc. 
Cosponsored by Representative PERCY of Phippsburg and 
Representative: WATSON of Bath. 
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: 
Sec. 1. 30·A MRSA §61·B is enacted to read: 
§61-B. Sagadahoc County 
Notwithstanding section 61, registered voters of Sagadahoc 
County shall elect 
a 
board of 
commissioners 
for 
the 
county 
consisting of a chair and 4 other citizens. 
All other provisions 
of section 61 apply to Sagadahoc County, except that 2 of the 
commissioners must be elected by and represent the entire county. 
Sec. 2. 30·A MRSA §66, sub·§12. as amended by PL 1993, c. 554, 
§1, is further amended to read: 
12. 
Creation of Sagadahoc County Commissioner Districts. 
Sagadahoc County is divided into the following 3 districts. 
A. 
Commissioner 
District 
Number 
consists 
of 
the 
municipalities of Bowdoin and Topsham. 
The term of office 
of the commissioner from this district expires in 1988 and 
every 4 years thereafter. 
B. 
Commissioner 
District 
Number 
consists 
of 
the 
municipa1i ties 
of 
Arrowsic, 
Bowdoinham, 
Georgetown, 
Phippsburg, 
Richmond 
and 
Woolwich 
and 
the 
unorganized 
territory 
of 
Perkins. 
The 
term 
of 
office 
of 
the 
commissioner from this district expires in 1988 and every 4 
years thereafter. 
C. 
Commissioner 
District 
Number 
municipalities of Bath and West Bath. 
the commissioner 
from this district 
every 4 years thereafter. 
consists 
of 
the 
The term of office of 
expires in 1990 
and 
In addition to the commissioners from the districts specified in 
paragraphs A, Band C, 2 commissioners must be elected at large. 
The term of office of an at-large commissioner is 4 years, except 
that for initial commissioners elected at large, the term of the 
first commissioner on the ballot expires in 2006 and the term of 
the 2nd commissioner on the ballot expires in 2008. 
Sec. 3. 30·A MRSA §884, as amended by PL 2001, c. 143, §2 and 
affected by §§3 and 4 and affected by c. 499, §1, is further 
amended to read: 
§884. Budget estimate; submission to advisory 
committee 
The Sagadahoc County commissioners shall submit 
a 
budget 
estimate to the advisory committee no later than April 1st for 
the coming fiscal year. 
The advisory committee shall review the 
budget estimate, hold a public hearing on the budget estimate and 
make recommendations to the commissioners before May 15th. 
The 
county commissioners shall hold at least one public hearing in 
each of the 3 commissioner districts. 
After the public hearings, 
the county commissioners shall act on the budget in a timely 
fashion and, in any event, not later than June 15th prior to the 
beginning of the budget year. 
SUMMARY 
This bill increases the number of county commissioners in 
Sagadahoc County from 
to 
and requires that 
of the 
commissioners be elected at large with staggered terms. 
It also 
requires that public hearings on the Sagadahoc County budget be 
held in each of the 3 commissioner districts.