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An Act To Include the Town of Falmouth as a Member of the Greater Portland Transit 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,  the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 30-A, section 3504, subsection 3 provides that the Greater Portland Transit District is comprised of the City of Portland and the City of Westbrook and further provides that its board of directors consists of 5 directors appointed from the City of Portland and 3 directors appointed from the City of Westbrook; and
Whereas,  the Town of Falmouth has applied for membership in the Greater Portland Transit District and the board of directors of the Greater Portland Transit District has voted to accept its application for membership; and
Whereas,  the Town of Falmouth cannot become a member of the Greater Portland Transit District until Title 30-A, section 3504, subsection 3 has been amended to reflect the change in membership; and
Whereas,  the board of directors of the Greater Portland Transit District has determined that it would be advantageous to the district and the people it serves if the board of directors could receive and accept applications for membership to the Greater Portland Transit District from other municipalities located wholly or partially within the Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System, whether or not contiguous with the other members of the Greater Portland Transit District; 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.  30-A MRSA §3501, sub-§3  is enacted to read:
 
3.  Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System.   "Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System" means the federally designated planning organization for the Portland region established to improve the coordination of transportation planning and investment decisions by state, municipal and public transportation organizations.
Sec. 2. 30-A MRSA §3504, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. A, §2 and Pt. C, §106 and amended by PL 1989, c. 6; c. 9, §2; and c. 104, Pt. C, §§8 and 10, is further amended to read:
 
3. Greater Portland Transit District. The board of directors of the Greater Portland Transit District, presently comprisedcomposed of the CitiesCity of Portland and, the City of Westbrook and the Town of Falmouth, shall consistconsists of 5 directors appointed from the City of Portland and, 3 directors appointed from the City of Westbrook and 2 directors appointed from the Town of Falmouth. Notwithstanding the other provisions of this chapter, the board of directors of the Greater Portland Transit District may receive and accept applications for membership from other municipalities located wholly or partially within the Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System whether or not they are contiguous to other members of the Greater Portland Transit District and may determine the number of directors to be appointed from those municipalities to the board of directors of the Greater Portland Transit District on any basis that is mutually agreed upon by the municipality applying for membership and the board of directors of the Greater Portland Transit District. The Cities of Portland and Westbrookmember municipalities may, by ordinance, provide that their appointees serve at the will of the appointing power or for terms whichthat are shorter than those established in subsection 2.
Emergency clause.  In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this legislation takes effect when approved.
 
Effective April 3, 2009.