An Act To Facilitate and Promote Regional Cooperation
Maine Legislature, Session 123, LD 1735
Committee: State and Local Government
Sponsors: SA VIELLO, ROTUNDO, CLEARY, GIFFORD, KOFFMAN, SCHATZ
Amends: 30-A MRSA §2304, 30-A MRSA §2305, 30-A MRSA §2313, 30-A MRSA §2316, 30-A MRSA §2321

Legislative Document 
No. 1735 
H.P.1218 
House of Representatives, March 26, 2007 
An Act To Facilitate and Promote Regional Cooperation 
Reference to the Committee on State and Local Government suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative SA VIELLO of Wilton. 
Cosponsored by Senator ROTUNDO of Androscoggin and 
'77l~ frI· 7I/t1£~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: CLEARY of Houlton, GIFFORD of Lincoln, KOFFMAN of Bar Harbor, 
SCHATZ of Blue Hill. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 30-A MRSA §2304, as enacted by PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. A, §2 and Pt. C, 
§ 106 and amended by PL 1989, c. 6; c. 9, §2; and c. 104, Pt. C, §§8 and 10, is further 
amended to read: 
§2304. Tax status 
Regional councils established in accordance with this Title are tax-exempt 
institutions whish that are exempt ealy from income and sales taxes. Real property and 
personal property are exempt from real property and personal property taxation if they are 
owned and occupied by regional councils solely for their own purposes or owned and 
used by regional councils for the purpose of providing services to 2 or more 
municipalities. Services may include, but are not limited to, public transit facilities, solid 
waste facilities and hazardous waste facilities. 
Sec. 2. 30-A MRSA §2305, as enacted by PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. A, §2 and Pt. C, 
§106 and amended by PL 1989, c. 6; c. 9, §2; and c. 104, Pt. C, §§8 and 10, is further 
amended to read: 
§2305. Construction 
This subchapter shall must be liberally construed toward the end of enabling councils 
to implement municipal programs and services on behalf of member municipalities, while 
avoiding the creation of special districts or other legal or administrative entities to 
accomplish these purposes. Programs and services may include, but are not limited to, 
programs and services for transit, solid waste, household hazardous waste, economic 
development, code enforcement, general financial and administrative activities and joint 
purchasing. 
Sec. 3. 30-A MRSA §2313, sub-§l, as enacted by PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. A, §2 and 
Pt. C, §106 and amended by PL 1989, c. 6; c. 9, §2; and c. 104, Pt. C, §§8 and 10, is 
further amended to read: 
1. Powers. The council may: 
A. 
Study any area governmental problems needs and opportunities common to 2 or 
more members of the council that it considers appropriate, including, but not limited 
to, matters affecting health, safety, welfare, education, economic conditions and 
regional development; 
B. 
Promote cooperative arrangements and coordinate action among its members, 
including, but not limited to, arrangements and actions with respect to transit 
services, 
joint purchasing, solid waste management and household waste 
management; aOO 
C. 
Make recommendations for review and action to its members and other public 
agencies that perform functions within the region~; and 
D. Prepare and maintain a comprehensive regional plan. 
Page I - 123LR1871(Ol)-1 
Sec. 4. 30-A MRS A §2313, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. A, §2 and 
Pt. C, §106 and amended by PL 1989, c. 6; c. 9, §2; and c. 104, Pt. C, §§8 and 10, is 
further amended to read: 
. 
2. Authority. The council, on behalf of one or more member municipalities and 
upon appropriate action of the legislative bodies of one or more member municipalities, 
may exercise any power, privilege or authority capable of exercise by a member 
municipality and necessary or desirable for dealing with problems of local or regional 
concern, except essential legislative powers, taxing authority or eminent domain power. 
This authority is in addition to any other authority granted to municipalities by the 
general laws and includes, but is not limited to, the formation of transit, solid waste and 
other services operations. 
Sec. 5. 30-A MRSA §2316, sub-§5, as enacted by PL 1991, c. 512, is amended 
to read: 
5. Guarantees. Notwithstanding any law, charter, ordinance or limitation to the 
contrary, anyone or more member municipalities of the Greater Portland Council of 
GoYernments a regional council may guarantee notes or other indebtedness or obligations 
of the Greater Portland Council of Goyernments a regional counciL 
Sec. 6. 30-A MRSA §2321, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. A, §2 and 
Pt. C, §106 and amended by PL 1989, c. 6; c. 9, §2; and c. 104, Pt. C, §§8 and 10, is 
further amended to read: 
2. Purposes. The purposes of a regional planning commission are to: 
A. 
Promote cooperative efforts toward regional development; 
B. 
Prepare and maintain a comprehensive regional plan~~ 
(1) The public shall must be given an adequate opportunity to be heard in the 
preparation of a comprehensive plan; 
C. 
Coordinate with state and federal planning and development programs; and 
D. 
Provide planning assistance and advisory services to municipalities~; and 
E. Provide programs and services to municipalities. 
Sec. 7. 30-A MRS A §2324, last ~, as enacted by PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. A, §2 and 
Pt. C, §106 and amended by PL 1989, c. 6; c. 9, §2; and c. 104, Pt. C, §§8 and 10, is 
further amended to read: 
The minutes of the proceedings of the cormrusslOn shall must be filed in the 
commission's office. These minutes are a public record. Copies shall be provided to the 
municipal officers and planning board of each member municipality. Copies of the 
minutes must be posted on a publicly accessible site on the Internet and be provided to 
the municipal officers and the planning board of each member municipality upon reguest. 
SUMMARY 
This bill addresses regional cooperation issues. It makes real or personal property 
used for providing regional services to 2 or more municipalities exempt from property 
taxation. It allows municipalities to enter into cooperative arrangements for activities 
such as transit, solid waste, household hazardous waste, economic development and code 
enforcement and joint purchasing and clarifies that these endeavors are cooperative 
regional government activities. 
In addition, it requires the minutes of commission 
meetings to be provided on request and posted on a website, rather than mailed to every 
member of the planning board and all municipal officials, in order to save on printing and 
mailing costs.