PART H

Sec. H-1. 30-A MRSA §5681, sub-§5-B, as enacted by IB 2003, c. 2, §3, is amended to read:

5-B. Fund for the Efficient Delivery of Local and Regional Services. For the months beginning on or after July 1, 2004 and before the distributions required by subsections 4-A and 4-B, 2% of all receipts transferred each month pursuant to subsection 5 must be deposited in the Fund for the Efficient Delivery of Local and Regional Services, as established in subsection 3, and distributed to those municipalities and counties that can demonstrate significant and sustainable savings in the cost of delivering local and regional governmental services through collaborative approaches to service delivery, enhanced regional delivery systems, the consolidation of administrative services, the creation of broad-based purchasing alliances or the execution of interlocal agreements.

Sec. H-2. 36 MRSA Pt. 11 is enacted to read:

PART 11

STATE TAX POLICY GOALS

CHAPTER 931

TAX BURDEN REDUCTION GOALS

§7301.__Tax burden reduction goals

It is the goal and policy of the State that by 2015 the State's total state and local tax burden be ranked in the middle 1/3 of all states, as determined by the United States Census Bureau's most recent tax burden analysis, adjusted by the assessor to reflect the State's unique expenditure tax relief programs.

It is the goal and policy of the State that additional state funds provided to municipalities through increases in the state share of education funding under the essential programs and services funding model must, to the greatest possible extent, be available for statewide property tax reduction.