An Act To Provide Assistance to Municipalities Recovering from a Municipally Significant Disaster
Sec. 1. 37-B MRSA §703, sub-§3-B is enacted to read:
Sec. 2. 37-B MRSA §742, sub-§4 is enacted to read:
Sec. 3. 37-B MRSA §744, sub-§2-A, ¶C is enacted to read:
The Governor may enter into an agreement with the municipal officers in a municipality abutting a municipality affected by a municipally significant disaster, where damages do not meet the 20% threshold established in section 703, subsection 3-B, obligating negotiated percentages for municipal and state financial resources for damages to municipally maintained roads, bridges and other public facilities. Any negotiated agreement is subject to the approval of that municipality's legislative body.
The estimated total cost of the damages must be determined and agreed to by officials in the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Bureau of General Services and the Department of Transportation and the municipal officers in the municipality with which an agreement is entered into under this paragraph.
summary
This bill authorizes the Governor to declare a municipally significant disaster in cases where a disaster causes damages to locally maintained roads, bridges and other public facilities, the repair of which exceeds 20% of the affected municipality's total annual operating budget, excepting the education budget. The municipal officers in the affected municipality must work with the Department of Transportation and the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Bureau of General Services to agree on an estimate of the total cost of the damages. The Governor may enter into a cost-sharing agreement with the municipal officers, subject to approval by the local legislative body, obligating the municipality to pay up to 50% of the cost of repairs. The bill further authorizes the Governor to enter into a cost-sharing agreement with a municipality that is affected by an event occurring in an abutting municipality. This negotiated share is also subject to approval by the local legislative body. In both cases, the State's share of the authorized expenditures is funded through the existing Disaster Relief Fund.