About Us
Enabling Legislation, 30-A MRSA § 2181 Commission Members
About Us
Commission Goals
The Commission established three goals:
- Begin speaking the “same language” statewide through data and technology standardization;
- Maintain financial incentives and modernize Maine’s tax base to support a stronger, efficient government structure; and
- Modernize Maine’s primary form of regional government, by improving democratic practices and professional standards.
Statutory Duties
The Intergovernmental Advisory Commission has seven duties assigned to it by statute:
A. Study ways to reduce duplication and improve efficiency among all 3 branches of State Government as well as within each branch;
B. Promote communication, cooperation and efficient delivery of services, including collecting data on current efforts to regionalize service delivery statewide;
C. Design and implement processes by which the State may offer guidance, technical support and incentives to encourage regionalization and efficiency of service delivery by all 3 branches of government;
D. Work with local and regional entities to design and implement pilot programs that result in cost savings or improved services through regionalization or other efficiency efforts;
E. Identify best management practices and make this information available to the public, including, but not limited to, best management practices that facilitate property tax rate reduction pursuant to the increasing state share of the total cost of essential programs and services under Title 20-A, chapter 606-B;
F. Prepare legislation for submission to the Legislature to implement any recommendations of the advisory commission on or before December 1st annually; and
G. Report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over state and local government matters annually in January on the activities and effectiveness of the commission and recommend changes to the commission's organizational structure.
Sub-committees
The Commission carries out its work through three sub-committees:
- Governance – The Governance sub-committee is charged with identifying opportunities or obstacles that current governance structures present to intergovernmental cooperation. The sub-committee devised Maine’s Blueprint for Government.
- Incentives – The Incentives sub-committee is charged with identifying incentives to promote regionalization and intergovernmental cooperation. It has been an advocate of funding for the Fund for the Efficient Delivery of Local and Regional Services.
- Mandates – The Mandates sub-committee is charged with looking at state rules, regulations, and laws that inhibit or prohibit regional efforts and cost efficiencies between governmental and quasi-governmental entities. The Commission was directed by the Legislature to study and report to the Legislature unfunded municipal mandates.
