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An Act To Change the Annual Meeting Date and Fiscal Year of Mount Desert Island Regional School District
Emergency preamble. Whereas, acts and resolves of the Legislature do not become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and
Whereas,  Private and Special Law 1963, chapter 176, as amended, requires Mount Desert Island Regional School District to hold its annual meeting on the second Wednesday of February and to operate on a calendar fiscal year; and
Whereas,  the required annual meeting date interferes with the budget development and approval process and the required fiscal year is contrary to the requirement of the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 15003; 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.  P&SL 1963, c. 176, §8  is amended to read:
Sec. 8. Fiscal year; annual reports. The fiscal year of the district shall beginbegins on the first day of JanuaryJuly of each year and endends on the 31st30th day of DecemberJune of eachthe succeeding calendar year. On or before January 15th of each year, the Regional School trustees and the Regional School Committee shall present to the municipal officers of each of the participating towns a detailed estimate in the form of a budget of the amount necessary for the operation and maintenance of the Regional School for the next fiscal year. On or before JanuaryMarch 15th of each year, the Regional School trustees and the Regional School Committee shall renderpresent to the municipal officers of each of the participating towns reports in writing showing the affairs and conditions of the Regional School for the preceding fiscal year and a detailed estimate in the form of a budget of the amount necessary for the operation and maintenance of said Regional School for the current year. Copies of suchthe reports shallmust be distributed to the inhabitants of the district in the same manner and form as isare provided for town reports, except that the same shallcopies must be made available for distribution not later than the annual district meeting of each year.
The voters of the district at each annual meeting of the district shall determine what sum, not less than the amount prescribed by the general law, is required for the operation and maintenance of saidthe Regional School for the currentnext fiscal year.
Sec. 2.  P&SL 1963, c. 176, §9, first paragraph  is amended to read:
Sec. 9. Capital costs; assessment of taxes authorized; how collected; procedure. The board of trustees shall determine the sums required for each fiscal year to pay:
Sec. 3.  P&SL 1963, c. 176, §9, last paragraph  is amended to read:
The board of trustees shall each year before the first day of AprilJuly, apportion the total sums so determined among the towns comprising the district, and issue its warrant in the same form as the warrant of the Treasurer of the State for taxes, with proper changes, to the assessors of each participating town, requiring that they assess upon the taxable polls and estates within each such town, including all village corporations therein, an amount determined in accordance with section 15 of this actAct, and to commit their assessments to the constable or collectors of saidthe towns, who shall have all authority and powers to collect saidthe taxes as isare vested by law to collect state, county and municipal taxes. The treasurers of saidthe participating towns shall pay the amount of the tax so assessed against the taxable polls and estates within their respective municipalities to the treasurer of the Regional School trustees on or before the 31st day of December of each year. In the case of the failure on the part ofIf the treasurer of saida participating townstown fails to pay saidthe sum or any part thereofof the sum on or before saidthe 31st day of December in the year in which saidthe tax is levied, the treasurer of the district may issue histhe treasurer’s warrant for the amount of saidthe tax or so much thereof as shall then remainof the tax that remains unpaid to the county sheriff, requiring himthe county sheriff to levy by distress and sale on the real and personal property of any of the inhabitants of the participating town where suchthe default takes place and the sheriff or any of histhe sheriff’s deputies shall execute saidthe warrant, except as otherwise herein provided in this Act. The same authority as is vested in county officials for the collection of county taxes under the provisions of the Maine Revised Statutes is vested in the trustees of saidthe district in relation to the collection of taxes within suchthe participating town.
Sec. 4.  P&SL 1963, c. 176, §10  is amended to read:
Sec. 10. Operational costs; assessment of taxes authorized; how collected; procedure. The Regional School Committee shall for each fiscal year before the first day of AprilJuly apportion the total sums required for the operation of the Regional School, as suchthe sums are determined by the voters of the district at the annual meeting thereof, among the participating towns in accordance with section 15 of this actAct. The Regional School Committee shall then issue its warrant in the same form as the warrant of the Treasurer of the State for taxes, with proper changes, to the assessors of each participating town, who shall deduct the amount of subsidies, or other income, if any, accruing to saidthe town because of its share in the Regional School, and shall assess the remaining sum upon the taxable polls and estates within their participating town and commit their assessments to the constable or collectors of saidthe participating town who shall have authority and power to collect as provided in section 9 of this actAct. The treasurer of each participating town shall with respect to the sum so assessed make payments, then provide for their collection, all as provided in said section 9, and the Regional School Committee shall with respect to the sums so assessed havehas the same authority as by saidprovided in section 9 is granted to the board of trustees.
Sec. 5. P&SL 1963, c. 176, §11, first paragraph, as amended by P&SL 1971, c. 7, is further amended to read:
Sec. 11. Annual meeting of the district; qualifications of voters of district; procedure at district meetings; annual budgets. The annual meeting of the district shallmust be held within the district, and at the school building when completed, on the 2nd1st Wednesday of FebruaryApril, suchthe meeting to start between 9 o’clock in the forenoon and 8 o’clock in the afternoon. The warrant for saidthe meeting or any special meeting shallmust be signed by the chairmanchair or treasurer of the board of trustees and the chairmanchair or secretary of the Regional School Committee.
Sec. 6.  P&SL 1963, c. 176, §11, 4th paragraph  is amended to read:
The warrant for the annual meeting shallmust set forth the school budget for the next fiscal year in substantially the following form:
PROPOSED
SCHOOL BUDGET FOR YEAR 19  FISCAL YEAR 2 - 2
 
Emergency clause.  In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this legislation takes effect when approved.
 
Effective February 4, 2011.