An authority constitutes a public body corporate and politic, exercising public and essential governmental functions, and having all the powers necessary to carry out and effectuate the purposes and provisions of this chapter, but not the power to levy and collect taxes or special assessments, including the following powers in addition to others granted:
1.
General.
To sue; to be sued on its written contracts or in accordance with the Maine Tort Claims Act, the Maine Administrative Procedure Act, Title 5, chapter 375, in the case of the Maine State Housing Authority, the Maine Rules of Civil Procedure, Rule 80B, or any successor rule of the Maine Rules of Civil Procedure in the case of a municipal authority or Title 1, section 409; to have a seal and alter it at pleasure; to have perpetual succession; to make and execute contracts and other instruments necessary or convenient to the exercise of the authority's powers; and to make and from time to time amend and repeal bylaws, rules and regulations not inconsistent with this chapter, to carry into effect the powers and purposes of the authority;
2.
Housing projects.
Within its area of operation: To prepare, carry out, acquire, lease, manage, maintain or operate housing projects and to provide for the construction, reconstruction, improvement, extension, alteration or repair of any housing project or any part of a housing project. An authority may perform any of these listed functions singly or in combination with other functions with respect to any individual housing project, and may perform these functions full-time, part-time or in combination with other private persons, corporations or government agencies or other appropriate body;
3.
Housing needs.
To undertake and carry out studies and analyses of the housing needs within its area of operation and of the meeting of those needs, including data with respect to population and family groups, and the distribution thereof according to income groups, the amount and quality of available housing and its distribution according to rentals and sales prices, employment, wages and other factors affecting the local housing needs and the meeting of those needs, and to make the results of these studies and analyses available to the public and the building, housing and supply industries; and to engage in research and disseminate information on housing;
4.
Contract for services, other uses; wages and hours of labor.
To arrange or contract for the furnishing by any person or agency, public or private, of services, privileges, works or facilities for, or in connection with, a housing project or the occupants of a housing project; and, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this chapter or in any other provision of law, to agree to any conditions attached to federal financial assistance relating to the determination of prevailing salaries or wages or payment of not less than prevailing salaries or wages or compliance with labor standards, in the development or administration of projects, and to include in any contract let in connection with a project, stipulations requiring that the contractor and any subcontractors comply with requirements as to minimum salaries or wages and maximum hours of labor, and comply with any conditions which the Federal Government has attached to its financial aid of the project;
5.
Leasing or renting; eminent domain; insurance.
To lease or rent any dwellings, accommodations, lands, buildings, structures or facilities embraced in any housing project and, subject to the limitations contained in this chapter, to establish and revise the rents or charges for those rentals; to own, hold and improve real or personal property; to purchase, lease, obtain options upon, acquire by gift, grant, bequest, devise or otherwise any real or personal property or any interest in real or personal property; to acquire, by the exercise of the power of eminent domain, any real property; to sell, lease, exchange, transfer, assign, pledge or dispose of any real or personal property or any interest in real or personal property; to insure or provide for the insurance of any real or personal property or operations of the authority against any risks or hazards; to procure or agree to the procurement of government insurance or guarantees of the payment of any bonds or parts of any bonds issued by an authority, including the power to pay premiums on any such insurance;
6.
Investment of funds.
To invest any funds held in reserves of sinking funds or any funds not required for immediate disbursement in property or securities in which savings banks may legally invest funds subject to their control, including, without limitation, shares of an investment company registered under the federal Investment Company Act of 1940, whose shares are registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, only if the investments of the investment company are limited to obligations of the United States or any agency or instrumentality, corporate or otherwise, of the United States or repurchase agreements secured by obligations of the United States or any agency or instrumentality, corporate or otherwise, of the United States; to redeem its bonds at the redemption price established for the bonds or to purchase its bonds at less than that redemption price, all bonds so redeemed or purchased to be canceled;
7.
Slum clearance.
Within its area of operation: To determine where slum areas exist or where there is a shortage of safe and sanitary dwelling accommodations for persons of low income; to make studies and recommendations relating to the problem of clearing, replanning and reconstructing of slum areas and the problem of providing dwelling accommodations for persons of low income; and to cooperate with the municipality, the county, the State or any political subdivision of the State in action taken in connection with such problems;
8.
Investigations and examinations.
Acting through one or more commissioners or other persons designated by the authority: To conduct examinations and investigations and to hear testimony and take proof under oath at public or private hearings on any matter material for its information; to administer oaths, issue subpoenas requiring the attendance of witnesses or the production of books and papers and to issue commissions for the examination of witnesses who are outside of the State or unable to attend before the authority or excused from attendance; to make available to appropriate agencies, including those charged with the duty of abating or requiring the correction of nuisances or similar conditions or of demolishing unsafe or insanitary structures within its area of operation, its findings and recommendations with regard to any building or property where conditions exist which are dangerous to the public health, morals, safety or welfare;
9.
Powers granted.
To exercise all or any part or combination of powers granted;
10.
Coordination with municipal officers.
The commissioners of a municipal authority or the director of the Maine State Housing Authority shall provide the municipal officers an opportunity to review and discuss proposed development projects prior to submitting the plans to the appropriate municipal officer or agency;
11.
Mortgage credits.
The Maine State Housing Authority may acquire from banks, life insurance companies, savings and loan associations, pension or retirement funds, any fiduciaries, the Federal Government and other financial institutions, persons or governmental or business entities mortgage loans and notes anywhere in the State and may sell mortgages and notes to insurance companies, other financial institutions, persons or governmental or business entities and the Federal Government or any fiduciaries or pension or retirement funds;
12.
Mortgage assistance payments.
Pursuant to the purposes of this Act to provide housing for persons of low income, the Maine State Housing Authority may make payments and binding commitments, subject to the authority's receipt of sufficient funds to honor these commitments from periodic appropriations from appropriate sources, to continue these payments if necessary over the life of the mortgage to mortgagors or to mortgagees on behalf of low-income persons to reduce interest costs on market rate mortgages to as low as 1%.
13.
Allocation of federal ceilings.
By rulemaking under Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter II, the Maine State Housing Authority may establish a process that is different from the federal formula for allocating that portion of the ceiling on the issuance of certain tax-exempt bonds established by the United States Code, Title 26, which has been allocated to the Maine State Housing Authority under Title 10, section 363, and may also limit the types of projects that are eligible to receive allocations or carryforward designations from the Maine State Housing Authority;
14.
State housing credit agency.
The Maine State Housing Authority is designated the housing credit agency for the State and may receive and allocate, according to a process established by rulemaking pursuant to Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter II, the annual state housing credit ceiling for the low-income housing credit established by the United States Code, Title 26;
15.
State weatherization, conservation and fuel assistance agency.
The Maine State Housing Authority is designated the weatherization, energy conservation and fuel assistance agency for the State and, in accordance with Title 35‑A, section 10104, subsection 8, may apply for, receive, distribute and administer federal funds on behalf of the State for weatherization, energy conservation and fuel assistance pursuant to the Weatherization Assistance for Low-income Persons Program administered through the United States Department of Energy and the Low-income Home Energy Assistance Program administered through the United States Department of Health and Human Services in accordance with rules adopted under the Maine Administrative Procedure Act;
16.
Certification of bonds.
The director of the Maine State Housing Authority is the State's designee to certify to the United States Secretary of the Treasury that housing-related bonds issued in the State satisfy the applicable ceiling requirements of the federal Internal Revenue Code;
17.
Comprehensive housing affordability strategy coordinator.
The Maine State Housing Authority is designated the comprehensive housing affordability strategy coordinator for the State and has the power to prepare and submit on behalf of the State the annual comprehensive housing affordability strategy called for in the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act, Public Law 101-625, as amended, and to undertake all monitoring and certification procedures required under that law. The Maine State Housing Authority shall represent the State in carrying out the HOME Investment Partnerships Program created by the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act, as amended;
18.
State designee for homeless programs.
The Maine State Housing Authority is designated the coordinating agency for the State for programs dealing with homeless persons and may apply for, receive, distribute and administer federal, state and other funds on behalf of the State for homeless programs including, without limitation, the Emergency Community Services Homeless Grant Program and the programs authorized pursuant to the federal Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, Public Law 100-77, (1987), as amended;
19.
State designee for National Housing Trust Fund.
The Maine State Housing Authority is designated as the entity to receive and allocate funds from the National Housing Trust Fund established by the federal Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008; and
20.
Affirmatively further fair housing.
The Maine State Housing Authority shall, to the extent consistent with federal law, ensure that any Maine State Housing Authority funding or any state or local funding is used in a manner that will affirmatively further fair housing in this State. For the purposes of this subsection, "affirmatively further fair housing" means to engage actively in efforts to address barriers to and create opportunities for full and equal access to housing without discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry, national origin, familial status or receipt of public assistance.