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An Act To Authorize an Alternative Calculation of the Property Growth Factor for Municipalities with Exempt Personal Property
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 30-A MRSA §5721-A, sub-§1, ¶C, as enacted by PL 2005, c. 2, Pt. C, §1 and affected by §§3 and 5 and c. 12, Pt. WW, §16, is amended to read:
 
C.  "Property growth factor" means the percentage equivalent to a fraction established by a municipality, whose denominator is the total valuation of the municipality, and whose numerator is the amount of increase in the assessed valuation of any real or personal property in the municipality that became subject to taxation for the first time, or taxed as a separate parcel for the first time for the most recent property tax year for which information is available, or that has had an increase in its assessed valuation over the prior year's valuation as a result of improvements to or expansion of the property. A municipality identified as having a personal property factor that exceeds 5%, as determined pursuant to Title 36, section 694, subsection 2, paragraph B, may calculate its property growth factor by including in the numerator and the denominator the value of personal and otherwise qualifying property introduced into the municipality notwithstanding the exempt status of that property pursuant to Title 36, chapter 105, subchapter 4-C.
 
SUMMARY
This bill authorizes a municipality that has a significant amount of personal property in its tax base to include the value of newly introduced personal property in the calculation of the municipality's property growth factor under the property tax limitation system even though that newly introduced personal property may be business equipment that is exempt from property taxation.