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An Act To Permit the Expansion of Municipal Membership 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 Greater Portland Transit District initiated a pilot project to provide express bus service between the City of Portland and the Town of Brunswick, called "Metro Breez," in coordination with participating municipalities located along the Metro Breez route; and
Whereas,  as a result of Metro Breez's strong ridership performance, support among riders and businesses, the long-term potential to help relieve Interstate 295 congestion and the opportunity to help drive sustainable community and economic development, the district desires to transition Metro Breez from its pilot phase to a permanent regional transit service; and
Whereas,  the participating municipalities support the continuation of Metro Breez as a permanent service and desire to join the board of directors of the district in order to participate in the development of the district's annual budget and establish the local contributions of the district's member municipalities to fund Metro Breez as a permanent service; and
Whereas,  in accordance with the district's budget process as set forth in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 30-A, section 3516, the board of directors of the district must initiate the budget process by preparing and submitting to the municipal officers of its member municipalities an estimated budget by November 1st of each year and must finalize its budget by March 1st of the subsequent year; and
Whereas,  Title 30-A, section 3504 provides that the district may expand its membership to include other municipalities located wholly or partially within the Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System, but not all of the participating municipalities are located wholly or partially within the system; and
Whereas,  this legislation allows municipalities that are contiguous to the system to join the board of directors of the district; and
Whereas,  this legislation must take effect as soon as possible to help ensure these municipalities may timely participate in the district's budget process; 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 §3504, sub-§3, as amended by PL 2009, c. 18, §2, is further amended to read:
 
3. Greater Portland Transit District.   The board of directors of the Greater Portland Transit District, composed of the City of Portland, the City of Westbrook and the Town of Falmouth, consists of 5 directors appointed from the City of Portland, 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, or contiguous to, 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 member municipalities may, by ordinance, provide that their appointees serve at the will of the appointing power or for terms that 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.
 
SUMMARY
This bill authorizes the board of directors of the Greater Portland Transit District to accept applications for membership from municipalities that are contiguous to, as well as those located wholly or partially within, the Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System.