An Act To Expand Tax Increment Financing
Sec. 1. 30-A MRSA §5222, sub-§14-A is enacted to read:
Sec. 2. 30-A MRSA §5225, sub-§1, ¶B, as amended by PL 2011, c. 101, §13, is further amended to read:
(1) That portion of the costs reasonably Costs related to the construction, alteration or expansion of any facilities not located within the district that are required due to improvements or activities within the district, including, but not limited to, sewage treatment plants, water treatment plants or other environmental protection devices; storm or sanitary sewer lines; water lines; electrical lines; improvements to fire stations public safety facilities; and amenities on streets;
(2) Costs of public safety improvements made necessary by related to the establishment of the district; and
(3) Costs of funding to mitigate any adverse impact of the district upon the municipality or plantation and its constituents. This funding may be used for public facilities and improvements if:
(a) The public facilities or improvements are located in a downtown tax increment financing district; and
(b) The entire tax increment from the downtown tax increment financing district is committed to the development program of the tax increment financing district;
Sec. 3. 30-A MRSA §5225, sub-§1, ¶C, as amended by PL 2013, c. 184, §4, is further amended to read:
(1) Costs of funding economic development programs or events developed by the municipality or plantation or funding the marketing of the municipality or plantation as a business or arts location;
(2) Costs of funding environmental improvement projects developed by the municipality or plantation for commercial or arts district use or related to such activities;
(3) Funding to establish permanent economic development revolving loan funds, investment funds and grants;
(4) Costs of services and equipment to provide skills development and training, including scholarships to in-state educational institutions or to online learning entities when in-state options are not available, for jobs created or retained in the municipality or plantation. These costs must be designated as training funds in the development program;
(5) Quality child care costs, including finance costs and construction, staffing, training, certification and accreditation costs related to child care;
(6) Costs associated with new or existing recreational trails determined by the department to have significant potential to promote economic development, including, but not limited to, costs for multiple projects and project phases that may include planning, design, construction, maintenance, grooming and improvements with respect to new or existing recreational trails, which may include bridges that are part of the trail corridor, used all or in part for all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles, hiking, bicycling, cross-country skiing or other related multiple uses;
(7) Costs associated with a new or expanded transit service, limited to:
(a) Transit service capital costs, including but not limited to: transit vehicles such as buses, ferries, vans, rail conveyances and related equipment; bus shelters and other transit-related structures; and benches, signs and other transit-related infrastructure; and
(b) In the case of transit-oriented development districts, ongoing costs of adding to an existing transit system or creating a new transit service and limited strictly to transit operator salaries, transit vehicle fuel and transit vehicle parts replacements; and
(8) Costs associated with the development of fisheries and wildlife or marine resources projects; and
(9) Costs related to the construction or operation of municipal or plantation public safety facilities, the need for which is related to general economic development within the municipality or plantation, not to exceed 15% of the captured assessed value of the development district; and
Sec. 4. 30-A MRSA §5225, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 2001, c. 669, §1, is amended to read: