An Act To Change the Annual Meeting Date and Fiscal Year of Mount Desert Island Regional School District
Maine Legislature, Session 125, LD 0019
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: FLEMINGS, LANGLEY, CHAPMAN, KUMIEGA, LUCHINI

Legislative Document 
No. 19 
H.P. 11 
House of Representatives, January 4, 2011 
An Act To Change the Annual Meeting Date and Fiscal Year of 
Mount Desert Island Regional School District 
(EMERGENCY) 
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed. 
HEATHER J.R. PRIEST 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative FLEMINGS of Bar Harbor. 
Cosponsored by Senator LANGLEY of Hancock and 
Representatives: CHAPMAN of Brooksville, KUMIEGA of Deer Isle, LUCHINI of Ellsworth. 
Emergency preamble. Whereas, acts and resolves of the Legislature do not 
become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and 
Whereas, Private and Special Law 1963, chapter 176, as amended, requires Mount 
Desert Island Regional School District to hold its annual meeting on the second 
Wednesday of February and to operate on a calendar fiscal year; and 
Whereas, the required annual meeting date interferes with the budget development 
and approval process and the required fiscal year is contrary to the requirement of the 
Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 15003; and 
Whereas, in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within 
the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as 
immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now, 
therefore, 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  P&SL 1963, c. 176, §8 is amended to read: 
Sec. 8.  Fiscal year; annual reports.  The fiscal year of the district shall begin 
begins on the first day of January July of each year and end ends on the 31st 30th day of 
December June of each the succeeding calendar year.  On or before January 15th of each 
year, the Regional School trustees and the Regional School Committee shall present to 
the municipal officers of each of the participating towns a detailed estimate in the form of 
a budget of the amount necessary for the operation and maintenance of the Regional 
School for the next fiscal year.  On or before January March 15th of each year, the 
Regional School trustees and the Regional School Committee shall render present to the 
municipal officers of each of the participating towns reports in writing showing the 
affairs and conditions of the Regional School for the preceding fiscal year and a detailed 
estimate in the form of a budget of the amount necessary for the operation and 
maintenance of said Regional School for the current year.  Copies of such the reports 
shall must be distributed to the inhabitants of the district in the same manner and form as 
is are provided for town reports, except that the same shall copies must be made available 
for distribution not later than the annual district meeting of each year. 
The voters of the district at each annual meeting of the district shall determine what 
sum, not less than the amount prescribed by the general law, is required for the operation 
and maintenance of said the Regional School for the current next fiscal year. 
Sec. 2.  P&SL 1963, c. 176, §9, first paragraph is amended to read: 
Sec. 9.  Capital costs; assessment of taxes authorized; how collected; 
procedure.  The board of trustees shall determine the sums required for each fiscal year 
to pay: 
Sec. 3.  P&SL 1963, c. 176, §9, last paragraph is amended to read: 
The board of trustees shall each year before the first day of April July,  apportion the 
total sums so determined among the towns comprising the district, and issue its warrant in 
the same form as the warrant of the Treasurer of the State for taxes, with proper changes, 
to the assessors of each participating town, requiring that they assess upon the taxable 
polls and estates within each such town, including all village corporations therein, an 
amount determined in accordance with section 15 of this act Act, and to commit their 
assessments to the constable or collectors of said the towns, who shall have all authority 
and powers to collect said the taxes as is are vested by law to collect state, county and 
municipal taxes.  The treasurers of said the participating towns shall pay the amount of 
the tax so assessed against the taxable polls and estates within their respective 
municipalities to the treasurer of the Regional School trustees on or before the 31st day of 
December of each year.  In the case of the failure on the part of If the treasurer of said a 
participating towns town fails to pay said the sum or any part thereof of the sum on or 
before said the 31st day of December in the year in which said the tax is levied, the 
treasurer of the district may issue his the treasurer’s warrant for the amount of said the tax 
or so much thereof as shall then remain of the tax that remains unpaid to the county 
sheriff, requiring him the county sheriff to levy by distress and sale on the real and 
personal property of any of the inhabitants of the participating town where such the 
default takes place and the sheriff or any of his the sheriff’s deputies shall execute said 
the warrant, except as otherwise herein provided in this Act.  The same authority as is 
vested in county officials for the collection of county taxes under the provisions of the 
Maine Revised Statutes is vested in the trustees of said the district in relation to the 
collection of taxes within such the participating town. 
Sec. 4.  P&SL 1963, c. 176, §10 is amended to read: 
Sec. 10.  Operational costs; assessment of taxes authorized; how collected; 
procedure.  The Regional School Committee shall for each fiscal year before the first 
day of April July apportion the total sums required for the operation of the Regional 
School, as such the sums are determined by the voters of the district at the annual meeting 
thereof, among the participating towns in accordance with section 15 of this act Act.  The 
Regional School Committee shall then issue its warrant in the same form as the warrant 
of the Treasurer of the State for taxes, with proper changes, to the assessors of each 
participating town, who shall deduct the amount of subsidies, or other income, if any, 
accruing to said the town because of its share in the Regional School, and shall assess the 
remaining sum upon the taxable polls and estates within their participating town and 
commit their assessments to the constable or collectors of said the participating town who 
shall have authority and power to collect as provided in section 9 of this act Act.  The 
treasurer of each participating town shall with respect to the sum so assessed make 
payments, then provide for their collection, all as provided in said section 9, and the 
Regional School Committee shall with respect to the sums so assessed have has the same 
authority as by said provided in section 9 is granted to the board of trustees.  
Sec. 5.  P&SL 1963, c. 176, §11, first paragraph, as amended by P&SL 1971, 
c. 7, is further amended to read: 
Sec. 11.  Annual meeting of the district; qualifications of voters of district; 
procedure at district meetings; annual budgets.  The annual meeting of the 
district shall must be held within the district, and at the school building when completed, 
on the 2nd 1st Wednesday of February April, such the meeting to start between 9 o’clock 
in the forenoon and 8 o’clock in the afternoon.  The warrant for said the meeting or any 
special meeting shall must be signed by the chairman chair or treasurer of the board of 
trustees and the chairman chair or secretary of the Regional School Committee. 
Sec. 6.  P&SL 1963, c. 176, §11, 4th paragraph is amended to read: 
The warrant for the annual meeting shall must set forth the school budget for the next 
fiscal year in substantially the following form: 
PROPOSED 
SCHOOL BUDGET FOR YEAR 19  FISCAL YEAR 2  - 2   
Emergency clause.  In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this 
legislation takes effect when approved. 
SUMMARY 
This bill changes the annual school budget meeting date for Mount Desert Island 
Regional School District from the 2nd Wednesday in February to the 1st Wednesday in 
April and conforms the district’s fiscal year to requirements of the Maine Revised 
Statutes. 
REGIONAL SCHOOL COMMITTEE 
Operating Budget Expenses 
Total proposed operating expenses 
$---------- 
BOARD OF TRUSTEES 
Capital Budget Expenses 
Bonds and Notes 
Principal - Sinking Fund Payments 
$---------- 
Interest 
$---------- 
Interest on Temporary Notes 
$---------- 
Maine School Building Authority 
Assumed by District 
$---------- 
Rents or lease payments 
$---------- 
Additions and Improvements 
$---------- 
Total Capital expenses 
$---------- 
Total proposed Expenditure 
$----------