Maine § 490-I. - Municipal enforcement; registration

§ 490-I.. Municipal enforcement; registration

This section allows a municipality to register for authority to enforce this article by adopting and submitting to the commissioner an ordinance that meets or exceeds the provisions of this article. The commissioner shall review that ordinance to determine if that ordinance meets the provisions of this article and if the municipality has adequate resources to enforce the provisions of this article. If the commissioner determines that the ordinance meets the provisions of this article and that the municipality has the resources to enforce this article, the commissioner shall register that municipality for authority to enforce this article. Immediately upon approval by the commissioner, primary enforcement authority for this article vests in that municipality. The commissioner may not approve an ordinance under this section unless the ordinance requires that any request for a variance from the standards in the article be approved by the commissioner before that variance is valid.   [PL 1993, c. 350, §5 (NEW).]

1.  Relation to home rule.  Nothing in this section may be construed to limit a municipality's authority under home rule to adopt ordinances regulating borrow, topsoil, clay or silt excavations.

2.  Optional participation.  Nothing in this article may be construed to require a municipality to adopt any ordinance.

3.  Suspension of approval.  The commissioner may act to enforce any provision of this article or suspend the registration of a municipality if the commissioner determines that a municipal ordinance no longer conforms to the provisions of this article or that the municipality is not adequately enforcing this article. The commissioner shall notify a municipality of any such determination in writing. Suspension of municipal registration by the commissioner does not void or in any way affect a municipal ordinance or in any way limit the municipality's authority to enforce the provisions of its ordinance.

4.  Appeal.  A municipality may appeal to the board any decision of the commissioner under this section. Any decision by the board on appeal by a municipality constitutes final agency action.