An Act To Improve the Regional School Unit Budget Approval and Validation Process
Maine Legislature, Session 125, LD 1668
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: SNOWE-MELLO, McCLELLAN, MASON
Amends: 20-A MRSA §1486, 20-A MRSA §1487

Legislative Document 
No. 1668 
S.P. 567 
In Senate, December 21, 2011 
An Act To Improve the Regional School Unit Budget Approval and 
Validation Process 
Approved for introduction by a majority of the Legislative Council pursuant to Joint Rule 
203. 
Received by the Secretary of the Senate on December 19, 2011.  Referred to the Committee 
on Education and Cultural Affairs pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed pursuant to 
Joint Rule 218. 
JOSEPH G. CARLETON, JR. 
Secretary of the Senate 
Presented by Senator SNOWE-MELLO of Androscoggin. 
Cosponsored by Representative McCLELLAN of Raymond and 
Senator: MASON of Androscoggin. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA §1486, sub-§3, ¶F, as repealed and replaced by PL 2009, c. 
415, Pt. B, §7, is amended to read: 
F.  The article to be voted on must be in the following form: 
(1)  "Do you favor approving the (name of regional school unit) budget for the 
upcoming school year that was adopted at the latest (name of regional school 
unit) budget meeting, which is (dollar amount of budget), reflecting a (dollar 
amount of increase or decrease) (increase or decrease) from the budget for the 
previous school year? 
Yes No" 
Sec. 2.  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 
1st, 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 year until 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 school unit under section 15689-B, or the latest budget submitted by the regional 
school unit board approved at a budget validation referendum becomes the operating 
budget for the next school year until a final 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 assessors 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 with 
section 1486. 
SUMMARY 
This bill changes the form of the question for a regional school unit budget validation 
referendum. It also provides that if a budget for the operation of a regional school unit is 
not approved prior to July 1st, the latest budget approved at a budget validation 
referendum is automatically considered the budget for operational expenses for the 
ensuing year until a final budget is approved.