An Act To Remove the Requirement That the Annual Budget of a Regional School Unit Must Be Approved at a Budget Validation Referendum
Maine Legislature, Session 124, LD 1739
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: McFADDEN, SHERMAN, AYOTTE, BURNS, EATON, EDGECOMB, JOHNSON, PINKHAM, SCHATZ
Amends: 20-A MRSA §1478, 20-A MRSA §148, 20-A MRSA §1487, 20-A MRSA §1701-C

. SECOND REGULAR SESSION-2010 
Legislative Document 
No. 1739 . 
H.P.1236 
House of Representatives , January 14, 2010 
An Act To Remove the Requirement That the Annual Budget of a 
Regional School Unit Must Be Approved at a Budget Validation 
Referendum 
Approved for introduction by a majority of the Legislative Council pursuant to Joint Rule 
203. 
. 
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed. 
Presented by Representative McFADDEN of Dennysville. 
Cosponsored by Senator SHERMAN of Aroostook and 
77l~ 
frI· ml!£~{ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: AYOTTE of Caswell, BURNS of Whiting, EATON of Sullivan, 
EDGECOMB of Caribou, JOHNSON of Greenville, PINKHAM of Lexington Township, 
SCHATZ of Bhle Hill. 
. 
. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be itenacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 20-A MRS A §130S-C, as amended by PL 2007, c. 668, §2 and affected by 
§55, is further amended to read: 
§1305-C. Cost center summary budget form 
Notwithstanding any other law, school administrative district budgets developed' after 
,January 1, 2008 must conform to the format and referendum prqcedures for regional 
school units as set forth in sections section 1485 and 1486. A school administrative 
district is deemed to be a regional school unit sOlely for the purpose of developing a 
budget pursuant to sections section 1485 and 1486. 
,10 
Sec. 2. 20-A MRSA §1478, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 668, §10, is 
amended to read: 
. 
3. 
Budget responsibility. 
A' reorganization plan that has been approved in 
accordance with subchapter 2 or a regional school unit board may authorize a local school 
committee to present to the board a proposed budget for the local school in a form that is 
consistent with section 1485. The proposed local school budget must be submitted in 
time to be included in the budget for the regional school unit. Proposed expenditures that 
are not inciuded in the regional school unit budget may be separately appropriated by the 
municipality to be expended by the regional school unit in accordance with the 
,appropriation. Supplemental municipal appropriations for education are not subject to 
section 1486. 
Sec. 3. 20-A MRSA §148S, sub-§3,as enacted by PL 2007,c. 240, Pt. XXXX, , 
§ 13, is amended to read: 
' 
'3. Budget approval. A regional school unit's cost center summary budget must be 
24' 
approved at a regional school unit budget meeting and by a budget validation referendum. 
as provided in section 1486. 
Sec. 4. 20-A MRS A §1486, as amended by PL 2009, c. 98, §1 and c. 415, PtB, 
. 27 
§§7 and 8, is repealed. 
Sec. 5. 20-A MRSA §1487, as amended by PL 2007, c. 668, §21; is further 
amended to read: 
§1487. Failure to pass budget 
If a budget for the operation of a regional school unit is not approved prior to July 
st, the latest budget approved at a regional school unit budget meeting and submitted to 
the voters for validation at a referendum in accordance with section 1486 is automatically 
considered the budget for operational expenses for the ensuing yearuntil a final budget is , 
approved, except that, when the regional school unit board delays the regional school unit 
budget meeting, the operating budget must be approved within 30 days of the date the 
commissioner notifies the regional school unit board of the amount allocated to the 
regional scho.ol unit under section 15689-B, or the latest budget submitted by the regional 
Page I - 124LR2194(Ol)-1 
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school unit board becomes the operating budget for the next school year until a budget is 
approved at a regional school unit budget meeting and validated at a referendum., If the 
, budget of a regional school unit is not approved and validated before July 1st and the 
officers of any affected municipality determine that the property taxes must be committed 
in a timely manner to the collector pursuant to Title 36, section 709, the municipal 
assessor or ~ssessors may commit the property taxes on the basis of the latest budget 
approved at a regional school unit budget meeting and submitted to the voters for 
validation at a referendum in accordance '.vith'section 14 86. 
Sec. 6'. 20-A MRS A §1488, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. XXXX, § 13, is 
amended to read: 
II 
§1488. Special budget meeting 
The regional school unit board may call· a special budget meeting when it declares 
that an emergency exists. The voters of the regional school unit may authorize the 
regional school unit board at a special regional school unit budget meeting to expend 
additional funds from the regional school unit's undesignated fund balance or, to pledge 
the credit 9f the regional school unit to obtain additional money for the operation of 
schools. A special budge~ meeting held on or after July 1, 2008 must be conducted in 
accordance with sections section 1485 and 1486. 
Sec~ 7. 20-A MRSA §1701-C, as amended by PL 2007, c. 668, §26 and affected 
by §55, is further amended to read: 
§1701-C. Cost center summary budget form 
. Notwithstanding any other law, 'community school district budgets developed after 
January 1, 2008 must conform to the format and referenduinprocedures for regional 
school units as set forth in sections section 1485 and 1486. A community school district 
is deemed to be a regional school unit solely for the purpose of developing a budget 
pursuant to sections section 1485 and 1486. 
SUMMARY 
This bill removes the requirement that a referendum must be held in a regional school 
unit to allow the voters to validate or reject the total budget adopted at the regional school 
unit budgetmeeting.