Maine § 1854. - Revenue sharing on public reserved lands

§ 1854.. Revenue sharing on public reserved lands

1.  Plantations organized as of March 1, 1974.  Seventy-five percent of any income from residential leasehold camps, excluding any income or proceeds from the sale, exchange or relocation of any of these camps, and 25% of any income arising from the sale of timber, grass, gravel or other natural resources from public reserved lands located in townships or tracts organized into plantations as of March 1, 1974 must be held by the Treasurer of State in the Organized Townships Fund. The Treasurer of State shall pay annually the income from that portion of the fund belonging to each such plantation to the treasurer of that plantation to be applied toward the support of schools according to the number of students in each school. The Treasurer of State shall compute this income on January 1st of each year. The Commissioner of Education shall file in the office of the State Controller a list of the plantations with the amount due for income for the preceding year according to a record of those amounts to be furnished to the Commissioner of Education by the Treasurer of State. The Commissioner of Education must be satisfied that the plantations are organized, that schools have been established in the plantations according to law, that assessors are sworn and qualified and that the treasurers of the plantations have given bonds as required by law. The State Controller shall insert the name and amount due the plantations in one of the first warrants drawn in that year.

The amount due Lakeville Plantation, Penobscot County, annually under this section must be expended in accordance with this section. Any excess must be used under the supervision and direction of the superintending school committee of Lakeville Plantation to establish scholarship aid for students of Lakeville Plantation to receive postsecondary education.  

2.  Plantations incorporated into towns.  With respect to those public reserved lands that were located in townships or tracts organized into plantations as of March 1, 1974, when any such plantation becomes incorporated into a town subsequent to that date, 75% of any income from residential leasehold camps, excluding any income or proceeds from the sale, exchange or relocation of any of these camps, and 25% of any other income from that public reserved land must be returned by the bureau to the municipality where that public reserved land is located to be used for municipal purposes.

3.  Towns with timber management leases.  With respect to stumpage income from timber located on public reserved lands and leased to municipalities and other political subdivisions of the State pursuant to section 1852, subsection 8, 50% of that income must be returned by the Treasurer of State to the lessee for its own purposes. The director may approve the handling by the lessees of income up to $500 from sales or permits. The lessees shall submit a semiannual accounting of that income and payment for the State's share.