1.  Program.  The Voluntary Municipal Farm Support Program is established in order to protect and support local farms, preserve farmland and reduce the fiscal burden for participating municipalities that results from new development in rural areas. Under this program, a municipality may enter into farm support arrangements with the owners of qualified farmland.  

2.  Effects of arrangement.  A farm support arrangement may not diminish the eligibility of qualified farmland for participation in tax benefits under Title 36, chapter 105, subchapter 2‑A or 10 or for consideration under Title 5, part 15‑A by the Land for Maine’s Future Board.  

3.  Nullification.  A farm support arrangement, once finally executed, is binding on the municipality. A municipality may not cease to make payments under the arrangement unless the land subject to the qualified easement is taken by eminent domain or state law otherwise authorizes the payments to cease. In the event that a municipality’s obligation to make farm support payments ceases, the farm support arrangement and the related qualified easement are void and may not be given effect and the municipality shall provide notice of this fact to the owner of the qualified farmland and record that notice with the appropriate registry of deeds.  

4.  Rules.  The department shall adopt rules governing farm support arrangements. Rules adopted under this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2‑A.