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LD 1747

An Act To Repeal And Replace The Charter Of The Yarmouth Water District

132nd Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Art Bell and 1 co-sponsor

Repeals the Yarmouth Water District charter and enacts a modern, clarified charter that reshapes governance, powers, finances, and service area for ratepayers.

Signed by Governor
#charterchanges #waterdistricts #yarmouthwaterdistrict
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Bill Summary · LD 1747

Summary — LD 1747: An Act To Repeal And Replace The Charter Of The Yarmouth Water District

Status: Signed by the Governor (June 9, 2025)
Introduced: April 22, 2025 — Sponsor: Rep. Bell (Yarmouth)
Committee: Energy, Utilities and Technology

Purpose and intent

LD 1747 repeals the existing charter of the Yarmouth Water District and enacts a new charter in its place. The stated intent of such legislation is typically to modernize and clarify the district’s statutory governing document — addressing matters such as governance structure, powers and duties, operations, financing, service territory, and administrative procedures. The enacted bill includes Committee Amendment A (H-279).

Note: the bill text itself is not included in the materials provided here. This summary therefore describes the bill’s purpose and procedural history and outlines likely areas affected by a charter replacement. For a section-by-section account of specific legal changes, consult the enacted bill text.

Key provisions (general)

Because the bill text was not provided, the following items describe the typical categories of change that a repeal-and-replace charter bill would cover and which stakeholders should review in the enacted text:
- Re-establishment of the district’s corporate status and legal authority.
- Updated governance provisions: composition of the board of trustees/directors, appointment or election procedures, terms, quorum and voting rules.
- Clarified powers and duties: ability to acquire, operate and maintain water infrastructure; contract authority; eminent domain provisions (if any); procurement authority.
- Financial and rate-setting provisions: authority to set rates, fees, issue debt, accept grants, and manage revenues and reserves.
- Service territory and annexation/withdrawal rules: definitions of the district’s service area and procedures for adding/removing properties or municipalities.
- Administrative and personnel provisions: appointment of managers, hiring authority, recordkeeping, and reporting duties.

Who is affected

  • Yarmouth Water District: its governing board, management, and employees.
  • Customers and ratepayers within the district’s service area (residents and businesses in Yarmouth and any other areas the district serves).
  • The Town of Yarmouth and neighboring municipalities to the extent they interact with or are part of the district’s service territory.
  • Local taxpayers or municipal officials if the charter changes affect municipal oversight or financial obligations.

Fiscal impact

All official fiscal documents (preliminary and amended fiscal notes) state: No state fiscal impact. The bill does not create a direct cost or revenue change to the State of Maine. Local fiscal or rate impacts (to the district and its customers) would depend on the substantive changes enacted in the new charter.

Legislative actions and timeline

  • Referred to Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology: April 22, 2025.
  • Work session and committee action; Reported Out as OTP-AM (May 23, 2025); Committee Amendment A (H-279) adopted.
  • Passed both chambers and concurred: May 27–29, 2025.
  • Enrolled and Signed by Governor: June 9, 2025.

Next steps / implementation

  • The effective date will be in the enacted law (consult the statute or the enrolled bill for the precise effective date and any transitional provisions).
  • Interested parties (district officials, customers, municipal offices) should review the enacted charter text to identify specific operational, governance, or rate-setting changes and any required implementation actions.

If you would like, I can:
- Retrieve and summarize the enacted bill text (section-by-section) if you provide it or allow me to fetch it, or
- Highlight specific changes between the prior charter and the new charter if you supply the prior charter text.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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