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An Act To Implement a Local Ballot Referendum for Municipalities To Disallow Tax-exempt Status to Large Land Trusts
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  36 MRSA §652, sub-§2  is enacted to read:
 
2.  Referendum to deny tax-exempt status to land trusts.     Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection 1, a municipality in which property of a land trust that contains at least 20 acres eligible for exemption from taxation pursuant to subsection 1 is located may deny, by referendum, tax-exempt status to that land trust. A referendum must be held and conducted in accordance with the provisions of the municipality's charter or Title 30-A, sections 2524 and 2528 to 2532, even if the municipality has not accepted the provisions of Title 30-A, section 2528. A municipality that votes to deny tax-exempt status for a land trust pursuant to this subsection must deny tax-exempt status for every land trust of at least 20 acres in size located in that municipality.
 
SUMMARY
Current law provides a property tax exemption to certain property of benevolent and charitable institutions, including land trusts, incorporated in this State.
This bill allows a municipality, by referendum, to deny tax-exempt status to a land trust that is at least 20 acres in size. If the municipality denies tax-exempt status for a land trust, it must deny tax-exempt status to all land trusts of at least 20 acres located in that municipality.