An Act To Address Municipal Conflicts of Interest

Sec. 1. 30-A MRSA §2526, sub-§8,  as amended by PL 2009, c. 57, §1, is further amended to read:

Sec. 2. 30-A MRSA §2605-A  is enacted to read:

§ 2605-A.  Conflicts of interest; contracts for professional services

A person contracted to provide professional services to a municipality may not have a direct or indirect pecuniary interest in any benefit that may arise from the professional services provided to the municipality other than payment under the contract. For purposes of this section, a person is deemed to have a pecuniary interest in any benefit that may arise from professional services provided to the municipality under a contract if the person has an ownership interest in more than 10% of the land area within the municipality. For purposes of this section, "professional services" includes, but is not limited to, services provided by accountants, architects, attorneys, consultants and engineers.

Sec. 3. 30-A MRSA §2636, sub-§§13 and 14,  as enacted by PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. A, §2 and Pt. C, §106 and amended by PL 1989, c. 6; c. 9, §2; and c. 104, Pt. C, §§8 and 10, are further amended to read:

Sec. 4. 30-A MRSA §2636, sub-§15  is enacted to read:

summary

This bill minimizes conflicts of interest in municipal government operations. The bill precludes the municipal treasurer and tax collector, or town officer performing the duties of either, from simultaneously acting as the municipality's code enforcement officer. The bill requires the town manager to implement a training program for municipal officers and employees on the ethical standards applicable to and the performance risks associated with hiring professional consultants. The bill prohibits a person contracted to provide professional services to a municipality from having a direct or indirect pecuniary interest in the business of the municipality.