Title 30-A, Title 30-A

The method of voting at municipal elections, when a question relating to a charter adoption, a charter revision, a charter modification or a charter amendment is involved, shall be in the manner prescribed for municipal elections under sections 2528 to 2532, even if the municipal…

Within 3 days after the results of the election have been declared, the municipal clerk shall prepare and sign 3 identical certificates setting forth any charter that has been adopted or revised and any charter modification or amendment approved. The clerk shall send one certific…

Private and special laws applying to a municipality remain in effect until repealed or amended by a charter revision, adoption, modification or amendment under this chapter.

1. Petition. The Superior Court, upon petition of 10 voters of the municipality or on petition of the Attorney General, may enforce this chapter. The charter commission may intervene as a party in any such proceeding. 2. Declaratory judgment. A petition for declaratory relief und…

This chapter, being necessary for the welfare of the municipalities and their inhabitants, shall be liberally construed to accomplish its purposes.

Any 2 or more municipalities may consolidate by following the procedure of section 2152 or the alternative procedure of section 2153.

1. Petition. The voters of a municipality may file a petition in the municipal office that must: A. Be addressed to the municipal officers; [PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. C, §106 (NEW); PL 1989, c. 6 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 9, §2 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 104, Pt. C,…

The municipal officers of 2 or more municipalities may act as a joint charter commission without a petition under section 2152, subsection 1.

All the rights, privileges and franchises of each of the municipalities and all property, real and personal, and all debts due on whatever amounts, belonging to and of the municipalities, are transferred to and vested in the consolidated municipality, provided that all bonded deb…

If the voters of a municipality reject a consolidation agreement, that municipality may not be a party to any consolidation agreement for 6 years after the date of the rejection, except when a number of voters equal to at least 30% of the total number of votes cast in that munici…

The municipal officers shall declare the results of any vote under this chapter and file a certificate of the result with the Secretary of State.

The Legislature finds that the citizens of the State in accordance with the Constitution of Maine, Article I, Section 2, have an unalienable and indefeasible right to institute government and to alter, reform or totally change the same, when their safety and happiness require it.…

Residents of territory within a municipality must follow the procedures set forth in this subchapter before seeking authority from the Legislature to secede from the municipality.

The secession process may be initiated by submitting to the municipal officers a petition signed by more than 50% of the registered voters within the secession territory that requests a municipal public hearing for the purpose of discussing whether the specified territory should …

Upon receipt of a petition with the required number of verified signatures, the municipal officers shall call and hold a public hearing. The purpose of the public hearing is to allow municipal residents, officers and residents in the secession territory to discuss secession. The …

Within one year following the public hearing held pursuant to section 2171‑C, a representative from the secession territory shall cause legislation to be submitted to the Legislature to obtain the authorization of the Legislature to proceed with the secession process. Unless auth…

Unless a majority of the secession territory representatives withdraws support for secession by filing written notice of such withdrawal with the municipal officers, the municipality shall conduct an advisory referendum within the secession territory as long as the Legislature ha…

Following the advisory referendum, the municipal officers shall take a recorded vote on whether to support the secession request. If a majority of the officers approves the request and more than 50% of the registered voters in the secession territory voting at the advisory refere…

If the vote of the municipal officers and the advisory referendum are in conflict, the municipal officers and the secession territory representatives shall meet to attempt to resolve issues related to the secession. If the municipal officers and secession territory representative…

If the parties have not reached agreement on all issues within 6 months after beginning discussions, the matter may be submitted to the Legislature. The Legislature may consider the information submitted pursuant to section 2172 in making its decision.

A territory that seeks to have legislation submitted on its behalf proposing its secession from a municipality shall provide the Legislature with the following information, which the Legislature may use in making a determination on a proposal for secession: [PL 1997, c. 699, §3 (…

This subchapter establishes a process by which a municipality may secede from one county and join another. The municipality must share a political subdivision border with both counties.

In order to secede, a municipality must receive approval from the Legislature for the municipality to hold a vote on the proposed secession.

1. Petition. Upon approval of the Legislature and receipt of a petition that seeks to have a municipality secede from one county and join another county signed by 10% of the number of voters in the municipality who voted at the last gubernatorial election, the municipal officers …

Upon approval by the voters to secede, both the county from which the municipality is seceding and the county that the municipality is joining under this subchapter shall hold a referendum vote during the next scheduled regular election. Both counties must agree by a majority vot…

The municipality petitioning to secede shall bear the expense of the 2 countywide referenda under section 2177.

The municipality seceding under this subchapter must continue to pay the municipality's share of the debt service to the county from which the municipality is seceding. The time period for which the amount of debt service can be paid must be agreed upon between the municipality s…

It is the purpose of this chapter to permit public agencies of the State or any adjoining state, including but not limited to municipalities, counties and school administrative units, and federal agencies and Indian tribes and their political subdivisions to make the most efficie…

As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings. [PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. C, §106 (NEW); PL 1989, c. 6 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 9, §2 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 104, Pt. C, §§8, 10 (AMD).] 1. Public…

Any power or powers, privileges or authority exercised or capable of exercise by a party to an agreement under this chapter may be exercised and enjoyed jointly or cooperatively with any other party to the extent that federal laws, when applicable, permit the joint or cooperative…

Before becoming effective, an agreement made under this chapter must be filed with the clerk of each concerned municipality and the Secretary of State.

If an agreement made under this chapter deals in whole or in part with the provision of services or facilities with regard to which an officer or agency of the State Government has constitutional or statutory powers of control, the agreement must be submitted to the state officer…

Any party entering into an agreement under this chapter may appropriate funds and may sell, lease, give or otherwise supply the administrative joint board or other legal or administrative entity created to operate the joint or cooperative undertaking by providing any personnel or…

In municipalities which acted under the repealed section 8-A of chapter 90-A of the Revised Statutes of 1954, the district formed remains effective so far as it complies with this chapter and may be continued accordingly.

This chapter does not apply to and has no effect on any agreement to which any federally recognized Indian tribe is a party if the agreement has not been entered into under the authority of this chapter.

The Legislature finds that: [PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. C, §106 (NEW); PL 1989, c. 6 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 9, §2 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 104, Pt. C, §§8, 10 (AMD).] 1. Insurance protection necessary. Insurance protection is essential to the proper functioning …

"Political subdivision" means any municipality, plantation, county, quasi-municipal corporation and special purpose district, including, but not limited to, any water district, sanitary district, hospital district, municipal transmission and distribution utility and school admini…

1. Coverage. Any public self-funded pool formed by 10 or more municipalities or school administrative districts or an organization representing 10 or more political subdivisions may provide risk management and coverage for pool members and employees of pool members, for acts or o…

Any public self-funded pool operating under this chapter is not an insurance company, reciprocal insurer or insurer under the laws of the State. The development, administration and provision of public self-funded pool programs and coverages authorized by section 2253, subsection …

Any contract entered into under this chapter must provide: [PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. C, §106 (NEW); PL 1989, c. 6 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 9, §2 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 104, Pt. C, §§8, 10 (AMD).] 1. Financial plan. A financial plan setting forth in general ter…

1. Filing of audited financial statements. Each public self-funded pool shall file with the members of the pool, by the last day of the 6th month following the end of the pool's fiscal year, audited financial statements certified by an independent certified public accountant. The…

The Legislature recognizes that a high level of cooperation and understanding between the State and its local governments is necessary to achieve common public goals and that coordination through regional councils is a way to achieve improved state and local cooperation. The Legi…

The Legislature recognizes councils of governments and regional planning commissions as forms of regional councils.

1. Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. The Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry shall serve as the coordinator between regional councils and the State, shall administer state funds supporting regional council tasks and may provide technical assis…

Regional councils established in accordance with this Title are tax-exempt institutions which are exempt only from income and sales taxes.

This subchapter 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…