1. Districts. The municipal legislative body may designate development districts within the boundaries of the municipality. Before designating a development district, the municipal legislative body or the municipal legislative body's designee shall hold at least one public hearing. Notice of the hearing must be published at least 10 days before the hearing in a newspaper of general circulation within the municipality. New development districts may not be established after January 1, 1998. The commissioner may establish, by rule, procedures governing the administration of this section.
A. At least 75% by area of the real property within a development district must be owned by a company engaged in the pulp and paper industry. [PL 1993, c. 671, §2 (NEW).]
B. Subsequent changes in the boundaries of a development district must be adopted in the same manner as the original delegation under this subsection. [PL 1993, c. 671, §2 (NEW).]
C. The development program must be completed within 5 years of the designation of the tax increment financing district by the commissioner. [PL 1993, c. 671, §2 (NEW).]
D. Before final designation of a tax increment financing district, the commissioner shall review the proposal to ensure that the proposal complies with statutory requirements. In addition, the commissioner must have received notification from the Commissioner of Environmental Protection that those elements of a development program undertaken by parties other than the municipality are part of a certified environmental improvement project or projects. A designation under this subsection is effective upon approval by the municipal legislative body and, for tax increment financing districts, upon approval by the commissioner. If the municipality has a charter, the designation of a development district may not be in conflict with the provisions of the municipal charter. [PL 1993, c. 671, §2 (NEW).]
[PL 1993, c. 671, §2 (NEW).]
2. Program. The legislative body of a municipality shall adopt a development program for each development district. The program must be adopted at the same time as the district as part of the district adoption proceedings or, if at a different time, in the same manner as adoption of the district, with the same notice, hearing and consultation requirements of subsection 1. Subsequent changes in the program must be adopted in the same manner as the original adoption under this subsection.
[PL 1993, c. 671, §2 (NEW).]
3. Certification of environmental improvement projects. Any pulp and paper industry applicant seeking to participate in a tax increment financing district designated under this chapter or participation in the pulp and paper environmental investment program shall submit to the Commissioner of Environmental Protection an application including a complete description of all proposed project elements and associated, estimated direct costs that comprise its environmental improvement project and any other relevant information as the Commissioner of Environmental Protection may require.
A. The Commissioner of Environmental Protection shall issue a certificate of approval for all or a portion of a proposed project if, in the commissioner's judgment, the proposed project or portions of the project satisfy the definition of an environmental improvement project. [PL 1993, c. 671, §2 (NEW).]
B. For each project, the commissioner shall establish a list of certified elements of the project that are necessary to implement the certified project or portions of the project. This list may include any or all of those elements described under section 5263, subsection 9, paragraph B, subparagraph (12). [RR 2021, c. 2, Pt. A, §111 (COR).]
C. The commissioner shall issue a decision within 90 days of application and may contract for outside review of the application under Title 38, section 344‑A. [PL 1993, c. 671, §2 (NEW).]
[RR 2021, c. 2, Pt. A, §111 (COR).]
4. Powers. Within development districts, and consistent with the development program, the municipality or the municipality's designee may acquire, construct, reconstruct, improve, preserve, alter, extend, operate, maintain or promote development intended to meet the objectives of the development program. Pursuant to the development program, the municipality may acquire property, land or easements through negotiation or by using eminent domain powers in the manner authorized for community development programs under section 5204. The municipality's legislative body may adopt ordinances regulating traffic in and access to facilities constructed within the development district. The municipality may install public improvements.
[PL 1993, c. 671, §2 (NEW).]
