Sec. 1. 30-A MRSA §2503, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. A, §2 and Pt. C, §105 and amended by PL 1989, c. 6, c. 9, @2, and c. 104, Pt. C, @@8, 10, is further amended to read:

2. Failure to enact ordinance. The municipal legislative body must enact the reapportionment ordinance within 18 months after the official publication of the latest decennial census as required by the United States Code, Title 13, Section 141, paragraph (c); provided that.__The ordinance is must be enacted at least 90 days before a regular municipal election occurring within that 18-month period or the previous reapportionment ordinance applies to that election. If the legislative body fails to do so enact an ordinance within 18 months after publication of the census or at least 90 days before a regular election occurring more than 18 months after publication of the census, or at least 90 days before a regular election occurring more than 18 months after publication of the census, all municipal officers to be elected shall must be elected at large and shall serve until their terms expire. Such at-large elections shall continue until the legislative body enacts an ordinance in accordance with subsection 1 at least 90 days before a regular municipal election.

Sec. 2. Retroactivity. This Act applies retroactively to January 1, 2001.

SUMMARY

This bill amends the law governing reapportionment of municipal voting districts following completion of each census. Current law requires a municipality to enact a reapportionment ordinance within 18 months of the official release of census data. This bill clarifies that when an ordinance is not adopted at least 90 days before a regular election held within that 18- month period, the old apportionment ordinance is used for that election. The bill also clarifies that if a municipality fails to adopt a reapportionment ordinance within the 18-month period or if it does so but not more than 90 days before an election occurring after 18 months, municipal officers up for election are elected and serve at large until a new ordinance is adopted.