§ 30-A §4324 — Responsibility for growth management

This section governs a municipality's or multimunicipal region's responsibility for the preparation or amendment of its growth management program. When procedures for the adoption of comprehensive plans and ordinances are governed by other provisions of this Title or municipal charter or ordinance, the municipality or multimunicipal region may modify the procedural requirements of this section as long as a broad range of opportunity for public comment and review is preserved.
1.
Growth management program.
Each municipality or multimunicipal region may prepare a growth management program in accordance with this section or may amend its existing comprehensive plan and existing land use ordinances to comply with the procedures, goals and guidelines established in this subchapter.
2.
Planning committee.
If a municipality or multimunicipal region chooses to prepare a growth management program, the municipal officers of a municipality or combination of municipalities shall designate and establish a planning committee, which may include one or more municipal officials.
3.
Citizen participation.
In order to encourage citizen participation in the development of a growth management program, municipalities or multimunicipal regions may adopt growth management programs only after soliciting and considering a broad range of public review and comment. The intent of this subsection is to provide for the broad dissemination of proposals and alternatives, opportunity for written comments, open discussions, information dissemination and consideration of and response to public comments.
4.
Meetings to be public.
The planning committee shall conduct all of its meetings in open, public session. Prior public notice must be given for all meetings of the planning committee pursuant to Title 1, section 406.
5.
State review.
6.
Comments sent to municipality.
7.
Comments and revisions.
8.
Public hearing required.
The planning committee shall hold at least one public hearing on its proposed comprehensive plan.
9.
Adoption.
A comprehensive plan or land use ordinance is considered adopted as part of a growth management program when it has been adopted by the municipality's legislative body. A multimunicipal comprehensive plan or land use ordinance must be adopted by the municipal legislative body of each participating municipality unless another form of legislative authority has been established for this purpose within the municipality or multimunicipal region.
10.
Amendments to an adopted plan.
When amending an adopted comprehensive plan, a municipality or multimunicipal region shall follow the same procedures for citizen participation, public notice and public hearing that are required for adoption of a comprehensive plan.

Legislative History

PL 1989, c. 104, §§A45,C10 (NEW). PL 1989, c. 562, §§3-5 (AMD). PL 1989, c. 908, §1 (AMD). PL 1991, c. 622, §§F23-27 (AMD). PL 1993, c. 166, §5 (AMD). PL 1993, c. 721, §A2 (AMD). PL 1993, c. 721, §H1 (AFF). PL 2001, c. 578, §13 (AMD). PL 2003, c. 641, §§7,8 (AMD). PL 2025, c. 393, §29 (AMD).