Maine Revised Statutes Title 36. Taxation § 508. Service charges

1. Imposition. A municipality may impose service charges on the owner of residential property, other than student housing or parsonages, that is totally exempt from taxation under section 652 and that is used to provide rental income. Such service charges must be calculated according to the actual cost of providing municipal services to that real property and to the persons who use that property, and revenues derived from the charges must be used to fund, to the extent possible, the costs of those services. The municipal legislative body shall identify those institutions and organizations upon which service charges are to be levied.

A municipality that imposes service charges on any institution or organization must impose those service charges on every similarly situated institution or organization. For the purposes of this section, “municipal services” means all services provided by a municipality other than education and welfare.

2. Limitation. The total service charges levied by a municipality on any institution or organization under this section may not exceed 2% of the gross annual revenues of the institution or organization. In order to qualify for this limitation, the institution or organization must file with the municipality an audit of the revenues of the institution or organization for the year immediately prior to the year in which the service charge is levied. The municipal officers shall abate the portion of the service charge that exceeds 2% of the gross annual revenues of the institution or organization.

3. Administration. Municipalities shall adopt any ordinances necessary to carry out the provisions of this section. Determinations of service charges may be appealed in accordance with an appeals process provided by municipal ordinance. Unpaid service charges may be collected in the manner provided in Title 38, section 1208.