The legislative body of a municipality may by ordinance adopt a program to provide benefits to persons with homesteads in the municipality. A municipality may choose to restrict the program to persons who meet minimum age requirements as long as the minimum is not less than 62 years of age. [PL 2019, c. 159, §1 (AMD).] 1. Conditions of program. Except as provided in subsections 1-A and 1-B, a program adopted under this section must: A. Require that the claimant has maintained a homestead in the municipality for a certain period of time, as determined by the municipality; [PL 2019, c. 159, §2 (AMD).] B. Provide benefits for both owners and renters of homesteads; and [PL 2005, c. 395, §4 (NEW).] C. Calculate benefits in a way that provides greater benefits proportionally to claimants with lower incomes in relation to their property taxes accrued or rent constituting property taxes accrued. [PL 2005, c. 395, §4 (NEW).] A program adopted under this section may impose additional standards of eligibility and procedures, as long as those standards are established by the municipality by ordinance. [RR 2025, c. 1, Pt. A, §60 (COR).] 1-A. Volunteer program. A municipality may by ordinance adopt a program that permits claimants who are at least 60 years of age to earn benefits up to an annual maximum of $1,000 or 100 times the state minimum hourly wage under Title 26, section 664, subsection 1, whichever is greater, by volunteering to provide services to the municipality. A program adopted under this subsection does not need to meet the requirements of subsection 1, paragraph B or C. Benefits provided under this subsection must be related to the amount of volunteer service provided. Benefits received under this subsection may not be considered income for purposes of Part 8. A municipality may by ordinance establish procedures and additional standards of eligibility for a program adopted under this subsection. [PL 2019, c. 607, Pt. A, §10 (AMD).] 1-B. Expanded municipal volunteer program. Beginning January 1, 2026, a municipality may by ordinance adopt a program that permits claimants who are eligible volunteers to earn benefits up to an annual maximum of $1,000 or 100 times the state minimum hourly wage under Title 26, section 664, subsection 1, whichever is greater, by volunteering to provide services to the municipality. A program adopted under this subsection does not need to meet the requirements of subsection 1, paragraph B or C. Benefits provided under this subsection must be related to the amount of volunteer service provided. Benefits received under this subsection may not be considered income for purposes of Part 8. A municipality may by ordinance establish procedures and additional standards of eligibility for a program adopted under this subsection. Notwithstanding the age requirements under this section, for the purposes of this subsection, "eligible volunteer" means a person who is at least 60 years of age or a person who is a volunteer firefighter as defined in Title 30-A, section 3151, subsection 4, a volunteer municipal firefighter as defined in Title 30-A, section 3151, subsection 5 or a volunteer emergency medical services person. For the purposes of this subsection, "volunteer emergency medical services person" means an emergency medical services person as defined in Title 32, section 83, subsection 12 who is licensed pursuant to Title 32, chapter 2-B, who receives up to 20% of the compensation of a worker employed 40 hours per week at the state minimum wage and who may receive injury and death benefits. Receiving benefits from a municipal program established pursuant to this subsection does not make a person ineligible to participate in the program as an eligible volunteer. [PL 2025, c. 337, §3 (NEW).] 1-C. Single benefit. A volunteer may not participate in both a program established pursuant to subsection 1-A and a program established pursuant to subsection 1-B in the same tax year. [PL 2025, c. 337, §4 (NEW).] 2. Relationship to state program. [PL 2013, c. 455, §2 (RP).] 3. Repeal of program. A municipality that has adopted a program under this section may repeal it through the same procedure by which the program was adopted. [PL 2005, c. 395, §4 (NEW).]
‹ Prev All Maine sections Next ›
Lexace provides legal information, not legal advice, and no attorney–client relationship is created. Statute text is provided for general information and may not reflect the most recent amendments; verify against the official state code.