limit for the district, which the trustees shall submit for approval in a districtwide referendum.__The referendum must be called, advertised and conducted by the Town of Winterport according to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 30-A, section 2528, except that the district is responsible for calling and holding the public hearing prior to the election and the registrar of voters is not required to prepare or the town clerk to post a new list of voters.__For the purpose of registering voters, the registrar of voters must be in session on the regular workday preceding the election.__The town clerk of the Town of Winterport shall prepare the required ballots with the following question:

"Do you favor changing the debt limit of the Winterport Water District from (insert current debt limit) to (insert proposed debt limit)?"

The voters shall indicate by a cross or check mark placed against the word "Yes" or "No" their opinion on the question.

The results must be declared by the municipal officers of the Town of Winterport and due certificate of the results filed by the town clerk with the Secretary of State.

A debt limit proposal becomes effective immediately upon its acceptance by a majority of the legal voters within the district voting at the election.__Failure of approval by the necessary majority of voters at the referendum does not prevent subsequent referenda from being held for the same purpose.__ The costs of referenda conducted under this section are borne by the district.__The total indebtedness of the district at any one time outstanding may not exceed the sum approved by referendum.

PART C

Sec. C-1. Emergency clause; referendum. In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this Act takes effect when approved, except that Part A of this Act takes effect when approved only for the purpose of permitting its submission to the legal voters within the Winterport Water District at a special or regular town meeting or election held prior to January 1, 2003. The election must be called, advertised and conducted according to the law relating to municipal elections, except that the registrar of voters is not required to prepare or the town clerk to post a new list of voters. The registrar of voters must be in session on the secular day next preceding the election. The town clerk shall prepare the required ballots, on which the town clerk shall reduce the subject matter Part A of this Act to the following question:

"Do you favor increasing the debt limit of the Winterport Water District from $800,000 to $1,200,000?"

The voters shall indicate by a cross or check mark placed against the words "Yes" or "No" their opinion on the question.

The results must be declared by the municipal officers of the Town of Winterport and due certificate of the results filed by the town clerk with the Secretary of State.

Part A of this Act takes effect immediately upon its acceptance by a majority of the legal voters voting at the election. Failure to achieve the necessary approval in any referendum does not prevent subsequent referenda consistent with this section as long as the referenda are held prior to January 1, 2003.

SUMMARY

This bill, which is reported out by the Joint Standing Committee on Utilities and Energy pursuant to Joint Order 2001, HP 1708, does the following:

1. It increases the debt limit of the Winterport Water District to $1,200,000, subject to approval in a local referendum.

2. It permits the district to increase its debt limit in the future through a referendum process.