MAINE Maine Ranks 34Th Among the States in Number of Local
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MAINE Town or Township Governments (466) Maine ranks 34th among the states in number Although not differing in legally authorized of local governments, with 850 as of October powers from the types of municipal 2007. governments described above, units in Maine designated as towns and plantations are COUNTY GOVERNMENTS (16) counted in census statistics on governments as town governments. The town executive There are no areas in Maine lacking county body is known as a board of selectmen, while government. The county governing body is the the plantation executive body is the board of board of county commissioners. The counties assessors. Town governments exist in each are responsible for only limited functions in county in Maine. Under home rule provisions, Maine: principally the maintenance of the towns may draft their own charters. Towns and courthouse and county jail, maintenance of plantations perform many of the duties roads in unorganized territory, and a few police elsewhere commonly associated with county functions. governments. SUBCOUNTY GENERAL PURPOSE Under Maine law, the term "township" refers to GOVERNMENTS (488) tracts of land within unorganized territory and not to towns, plantations, or other local The 488 subcounty general purpose governments. governments in Maine consist of 22 municipal (city) governments and 466 town or plantation PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEMS (299) governments. These two types of governments are distinguished primarily by the School District Governments (98) historical circumstances surrounding their incorporation. In Maine, the city, town, and Only the following types of school districts in plantation governments perform most local Maine are counted as separate governments governments services. About 40 percent of the for census purposes: area of the state, however, has no city or town government. Gores, Indian reservations, and School administrative districts unincorporated territories exist outside the Community school districts areas of cities, towns, and plantations. Most Incorporated school districts governmental services in these area that are Interstate school districts not provided by county governments are Applied technology (vocational) regions provided by the state. Village corporations are Indian schools counted as special district governments (see “Special District Governments”). School administrative districts, which serve two or more participating cities, towns, or Municipal Governments (22) plantations, constitute the majority of school district governments in Maine. School The term "municipality" as defined for census administrative districts are formed only when statistics on governments applies only to the criteria regarding the number of secondary cities in Maine. Cities are created by special pupils to be educated are met. An elected legislation. Under home rule, however, cities board of directors governs each school may draft their own charters. Towns and administrative district. The district directors plantations, to which the term "municipalities" determine district tax requirements subject to is generally applied by Maine statutes, are voter approval; participating cities and towns counted for census purposes as town rather collect the taxes on behalf of the district. The than municipal governments (see “Town or districts also may issue bonds after voter Township Governments”). approval. Community school districts are school Systems dependent on municipal administrative units formed, upon voter governments: approval, between two or more participating cities, towns, or plantations for any City school systems combination of grades from kindergarten through Grade 12. Each community school Systems dependent on town governments : district is governed by a district school committee and an elected board of trustees. Town school systems District school committee members are selected by and from the elected school Systems dependent on the state government: committees of the participating cities, towns, and plantations, except that districts providing Schools in unorganized territory kindergarten and Grades 1 through 12, inclusive, must elect the members. The district Education in Maine is provided principally school committee determines district tax through the city and town school systems. requirements, subject to voter approval, to be These systems are classified for census collected by the participating cities, towns, and purposes as dependent agencies of city or plantations. The committee may issue bonds town governments and are not separate with the approval of the district trustees. governments. Although these school systems are governed by elected school committees, Maine law also provides for incorporated their fiscal needs are provided by the city and school districts serving a single city or town. A town governments they serve. meeting of the voters governs the district. Financial provisions for incorporated school Union schools may be formed by adjoining districts are similar to those for school municipalities. The schools are governed by administrative districts. joint school committees. The creating agreement sets the formula for contributions Interstate school districts provide for the for support. The creating municipalities may construction and operation of schools. The issue bonds for school construction with voter districts are governed by an elected board. approval. They may issue bonds and make special assessments. The schools in unorganized territory are operated and maintained by the state The applied technology regions were department of education. established by state law to provide vocational education. The regions are governed by Other Educational Activities cooperative boards; the composition of each board is determined by the participating school Maine law provides for school unions, formerly boards. The cooperative boards have the known as supervisory unions. School unions power to issue bonds subject to referendum. are entities for the employment of a superintendent to serve several towns. These Indian schools are also classified as unions are joint educational service agencies independent school district governments. An of the public school systems they serve and elected tribal school committee governs each are not counted as separate governments. school under the laws applicable to school administrative units. Maine law also provides, by special act, for school "districts" to erect and maintain Dependent Public School Systems (201) buildings for city and town schools. These "districts" are dependent activities of the cities Maine statutes provide for the following types or towns they serve and are not counted as of dependent public school systems: separate governments. Applied technology centers, which provide initiative of one or more municipalities or upon vocational education to secondary students, voter petition. These districts also may be are dependent activities of the participating created upon the initiative of the residents of school districts and school systems and are an unorganized territory. Application is made not counted as separate governments. to the state commissioner, and a referendum is held. The districts are governed by boards of School administrative units that do not operate elected trustees plus the participating water schools may contract with other schools, both districts appoint one trustee each. The public and private, to educate their students. district’s trustees determine each participating Contracts with private schools require that a entity’s share of the budget. As of October joint school committee be formed to govern the 2007, no districts of this type were reported in school. This joint committee is composed of operation. an equal number of representatives from the public school and the private school. Joint Cobbossee Watershed District committees are classified as dependent activities of the administering school units and A 1971 special act, subject to local are not counted as separate governments. referendum, authorized the establishment of this district to control the level and improve the SPECIAL DISTRICT GOVERNMENTS (248) 1 quality and purity of the water in the Cobbossee Stream Watershed. A board of Maine statutes authorize the creation of a trustees, appointed by the officials of the variety of special districts or authorities that are participating cities, towns, and water districts, counted as governments. These are governs this district. Bond issues must be discussed in detail below. The term approved by the voters. The district budget “municipality,” as used in the following also is subject to voter approval at an annual descriptions, refers to cities, towns, and district meeting. The cost of financing the plantations. district is apportioned to the constituent underlying governments on the basis of their Capital Riverfront Improvement District assessed valuation. This district was authorized by special act and Hospital Districts created upon act of the governing body of the city of Augusta. The district was charged with These districts are authorized by special acts development of a river front area. The district subject to local referendum but with similar is governed by a board consisting of city powers. An elected board administers each officials, members appointed by the council of district. Hospital districts may collect charges, the city of Augusta, state officials, and determine the amount of taxes to be levied for members appointed by the Governor. The their use, and issue bonds. district