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An Act To Change the Budget Approval Process for Alternative Organizational Structures
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §1461-B, sub-§3, ¶D, as enacted by PL 2011, c. 485, §2, is amended to read:
 
D. The governing body of an alternative organizational structure, by majority vote, may authorize a change in the alternative organizational structure budget approval procedures in paragraph C to require a budget approval by the governing body of the alternative organizational structure instead of a meeting of the voters of all of the member entities of the alternative organizational structure. The change in procedure must be authorized by a majority of the total number of voters of all of the member entities in the alternative organizational structure at the next statewide electiona special meeting of the voters authorized by a majority vote of the governing body of the alternative organizational structure. The article to be voted uponon at the special meeting must be in substantially the following form:
 
If approved by the voters, the budget approval procedure changes to a majority vote of the governing body of the alternative organizational structure at a budget meeting. This procedure must remain in effect for at least 3 budget years before the alternative organizational structure may return to the requirement that a budget be approved at a meeting of the voters of all of the member entities of the alternative organizational structure.
 
An article to consider reinstatement of the budget approval procedure in which the budget is approved at a meeting of the voters of all of the member entities may be placed on a warrant for referendum vote by either a majority vote of the governing body of the alternative organizational structure or by a written petition to the governing body of the alternative organizational structure signed by a number of voters of member entities of the alternative organizational structure equal to at least 10% of the voters who voted in the last gubernatorial election in the member entities of the alternative organizational structure. The governing body of the alternative organizational structure shall place the article on the next scheduled warrant or an earlier one if determined appropriate by the governing body of the alternative organizational structure. The article to be voted upon must be in substantially the following form:
"Article: Do you favor changing the (name of alternative organizational structure) budget approval procedure from a vote by the governing body of the alternative organizational structure to a meeting of the voters?
Yes No"
 
If approved by a majority of the total number of voters of all of the member entities in the alternative organizational structure, the budget approval procedure changes to a meeting of the voters of all of the member entities of the alternative organizational structure beginning in the next budget year or the following budget year if the approval occurs less than 90 days before the start of the next budget year. Once approved by the voters, this procedure may not be changed for at least 3 budget years.
 
SUMMARY
This bill changes the school budget approval process for alternative organizational structures. Current law requires that a change in who approves a budget must be approved at the next statewide election. The bill requires that such a determination of who approves a budget must be approved at a special meeting authorized by a majority of the governing body of the alternative organizational structure rather than at the next statewide election.