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AUGUSTA — Despite a
last-ditch effort to
kill it, a bill that
would require a
municipality to hold a
referendum within 75
days of a permit being
issued if they want to
overturn a land-use
decision in their town
passed in the
Legislature this week
and is on its way to
becoming law. The
proposal, co-sponsored
by Sen. Lynn Bromley
(D-Cumberland County)
and Rep. Ted Koffman
(D-Bar Harbor), was
promoted as a way to
allow more affordable
housing to be built in
the state, but opponents
said it is a gift to all
developers.
Proponents argued
that developers have a
right to know when their
building permits are
valid and can’t be
overturned.
The biggest fight
over the bill was in the
House, which ended up
passing it 75-66 with 10
absent on Monday. The
Senate approved it by a
wider margin of 21-12.
Rep. Jon McKane
(R-Newcastle) was an
outspoken opponent of
the bill. He said his
area understood the
importance of allowing
citizens to petition
their government,
referring to a recent
referendum in
Damariscotta that kept
out a Wal-Mart super
store.
Rep. David Trahan
(R-Waldoboro) said the
bill is “much more
sinister” than people
realized, because
selectmen could
essentially allow a
project to move forward
by simply refusing to
call a referendum within
the 75-day time limit.
Rep. Robert
Crosthwaite
(R-Ellsworth), a member
of the State and Local
Government Committee
that recommended passage
of the bill, said, if
local officials don’t do
their job, they will
“face the wrath of the
voters.”
“This is not about
home rule,” Crosthwaite
said, “it’s about
fairness … and it’s also
about economic
development.” |
