Amend the bill by striking out everything after the title and before the summary and inserting the following:
‘Emergency preamble. Whereas, acts and resolves of the Legislature do not become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and
Whereas, counties are currently in the process of adopting county budgets of which rural patrol is a significant cost; 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. 30-A MRSA §107, sub-§5, as enacted by PL 1997, c. 785, §1, is amended to read:
5. Fees. The Except as provided in subsection 6, the cost of developing and providing the service must be borne by those municipalities or other public or private entities using the service or by other means, but must may not in any way be borne by the tax for which municipalities are assessed pursuant to section 706.
Sec. 2. 30-A MRSA §107, sub-§6 is enacted to read:
6. Offshore island tax assessment credit. For the purpose of allowing an offshore island municipality not connected to the mainland by a bridge to contract independently with the county for rural patrol services, the county may credit the qualifying municipality for a portion of the county assessment that would otherwise have been used to provide rural patrol services to the municipality if it were on the mainland. For any such agreement that is entered into, the assessment credit must be annually negotiated by the qualifying municipality and the county commissioners.
Emergency clause. In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this legislation takes effect when approved.’
This amendment replaces the bill. It allows offshore island municipalities to enter into contracts with the county to provide rural patrol services by crediting to a municipality the portion of the county assessment that would be used for rural patrol of the municipality if it were on the mainland. The assessment credit must be negotiated annually between the island municipalities and the county. The amendment also adds an emergency preamble and emergency clause because the county budgets are currently being developed.