123rd MAINE LEGISLATURE
		LD 430		LR 475(01)
	An Act To Enable Unorganized Territory Townships To Become a Municipality
	Fiscal Note for Original Bill
	Sponsor: Rep. Barstow of Gorham
	Committee: State and Local Government
	Fiscal Note Required: Yes
Fiscal Note
Potential current biennium cost increase - General Fund State Mandate - Unfunded
State Mandates
	Required Activity				Unit Affected	Costs
	The requirement in section 7111 that counties conduct a census or census verification process if petitioned is a state mandate.  Also, requiring counties in section 7112 to engage in negotiations with the petitioning group to help develop an organizational plan is a state mandate pursuant to the Constitution of Maine.  The additional local costs to implement these county requirements are expected to be significant.				County	Significant
Fiscal Detail and Notes
	Enactment of this legislation will develop a procedure to allow certain townships in the Unorganized Territory to organize as a municipality.  If one to three townships were to organize into a town, there could be costs to the state for school subsidies, Tree Growth Reimbursement , Veterans Exemption Reimbursement, Revenue Sharing, education costs, ministerial and school trust funds, General Assistance, Forest Fire Protection and other potential costs.  The minor costs associated with the Office of the Executive Director providing certain information to the joint Standing Committee on State and Local Government can be absorbed by the Legislature utilizing existing budgeted resources.
	Providing for up to 3 townships in the Unorganized Territory to organize as a municipality will increase the total cost of providing K-12 public education.  The amount can not be determined at this time and will depend on the number of townships in the new municipality, the assessed valuation of the new municipality, the number of resident pupils in the new municipality, pupil transportation costs and special education costs.