An Act To Clarify the Authority of a County To Fund Its County Communications Center through the County Tax or Fee-for-service Agreements
Maine Legislature, Session 122, LD 0474
Committee: State and Local Government
Sponsors: BLANCHARD, SCHNEIDER, BLANCHETTE, CLARK, CROSBY, PINKHAM, TARDY
Amends: 30-A MRSA §453

Legislative Document 
No. 474 
H.P.349 
House of Representatives, February 1, 2005 
An Act To Clarify the Authority of a County To Fund Its County 
Communications Center through the County Tax or Fee-for-service 
Agreements 
Reference to the Committee on State and Local Government suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative BLANCHARD of Old Town. 
Cosponsored by Senator SCHNEIDER of Penobscot and 
'7Jl~ 111· 7l!d£~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: BLANCHETTE of Bangor, CLARK of Millinocket, CROSBY of Topsham, 
PINKHAM of Lexington Township, TARDY of Newport. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 30-A MRSA §453, first, 3rd and 4th ", as enacted by PL 
1987, c. 737, Pt. A, §2 and Pt. C, §106; and amended by PL 1989, 
c. 6; c. 9, §2; c. 104, Pt. C, §§8 and 10, are further amended to 
read: 
Each county may establish a communications center, separate 
from any communications function of the sheriff's department and 
capable of serving the communication needs of the county and the 
municipalities wsies that may wish to use the center. 
If the 
center is available for use by any municipality in the county 
that chooses to us.e it, the center may be funded through the 
county tax for which municipalities are assessed pursuant to 
section 706, even if one or more municipalities in the county 
elect not to use the center. 
The county communications center shall provide communication 
services for the sheriff's department, 
county civil emergency 
services, 
county 
or 
municipal 
rescue 
or 
ambulance 
services, 
county 
or 
municipal 
fire 
departments 
or 
municipal 
police 
departments, including specific communications for municipal law 
enforcement functions and the dispatching of municipal units. 
The county commissioners, after consulting with the director 
or chief dispatcher, 
may also enter into an agreement with a 
municipality, within or outside the county, under section 107 to 
provide 
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~Rae~ieasr--~~~~~--Gi&~a~~i~--e~--~~~~--Rai~6r that 
municipality with any of the communications se.cvices offered by 
the county's communications center in return for 
payment for 
these services. 
Sec. 2. Application. 
The provisions of this Act 
apply to 
county budgets for fiscal years beginning on or after January 1, 
2005. 
SUMMARY 
This bill clarifies that a county communications center may 
be funded through the county tax if the center is available for 
use by any municipality in the county that chooses to use it, 
even if one or more municipalities in the county elect not to use 
the center. 
It also allows the county commissioners to enter 
into an agreement with a municipality, whether or not located in 
the 
county, 
to 
provide 
that 
municipality 
with 
any 
of 
the 
communications services offered by the county's communications 
center in return for payment for these services.