LD 1
pg. 69
Page 68 of 70 An Act To Increase the State Share of Education Costs, Reduce Property Taxes an... Page 70 of 70
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LR 328
Item 1

 
Part A reconstitutes and changes the current State Budget
Stabilization Fund to further control state spending and taxes.

 
Part B supports additional property tax reduction by promoting
government efficiencies, including efficiencies that might assist
implementing property tax reductions from additional state
education funding, by the Intergovernmental Advisory Group.

 
Parts C and E establish caps on the growth of municipal and
county spending, respectively. These caps may not be exceeded
except in defined extraordinary circumstances or as overridden by
a majority vote of the voters of the municipality or county.

 
Part D establishes a cap on total education costs. It also
requires the State to increase its share of school funding by
paying 50% of the total cost of essential programs and services
in fiscal year 2006-07 and 55% in fiscal year 2008-09. As a
result of this increased state aid to education, 90 cents of
every dollar of the additional state aid are available for
property tax reduction. The funds made available for property
tax reduction, as a result of the State's increasing its share of
education funding, must reduce property taxes. This property tax
reduction may be overridden only by a majority vote of affected
voters.

 
Part D also corrects a numbering problem created when Public
Law 2003, chapter 504, Part A, section 6 and Initiated Bill 2003,
chapter 2 both enacted substantively different provisions with
the same section numbers.

 
Part F provides funding for increasing property tax relief
over the period of time during which the State is increasing
funding of education spending up to at least 55%. The specific
relief provided is in an increase in the income limits and
maximum payment amount to claimants under the Maine Residents
Property Tax Program.

 
Part F expands the nonelderly portion of the Maine Residents
Property Tax Program by increasing household income limitations
to $50,000 for single-member households and $75,000 for
multimember households. The expansion applies to program years
beginning on or after August 1, 2005.

 
Part F directs the State Tax Assessor to undertake a study of
the Maine Residents Property Tax Program in order to examine how
the maximum benefits under the program may be increased over
time. The State Tax Assessor is to report to the joint standing
committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over taxation
matters by January 2, 2006.


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