Maine Revised Statutes > Title 14 > Part 1 > Chapter 1 – Parties and Title of Actions

		Sections
Subchapter 1	Parties	1 – 5
Subchapter 2	Model Joint Obligations Act	11 – 17

Terms Used In Maine Revised Statutes > Title 14 > Part 1 > Chapter 1 - Parties and Title of Actions

Adult: means a person who has attained the age of 18 years. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72
Adult care facilities: means facilities that are licensed by the Department of Health and Human Services and that offer programs for adults who need assistance or supervision and that are operated out of nonresidential commercial buildings. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 5222
Affordable housing: means decent, safe and sanitary dwellings, apartments or other living accommodations for low-income and moderate-income households. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 5002
Agent: means any person acting for or in behalf of another in any of the transactions which constitute being a dealer. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 7 Sec. 1302
Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
Amenities: means items of street furniture, signs and landscaping, including, but not limited to, plantings, benches, trash receptacles, street signs, sidewalks and pedestrian malls. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 5222
Arts district: means a specified area within the corporate limits of a municipality or plantation that has been designated by the municipality or plantation for the purpose of providing employment and cultural opportunities through the development of arts opportunities, including, but not limited to, museums, galleries, arts education, art studios, performing arts venues and associated businesses. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 5222
Authority: means the Maine State Housing Authority. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 4991
Baseline: Projection of the receipts, outlays, and other budget amounts that would ensue in the future without any change in existing policy. Baseline projections are used to gauge the extent to which proposed legislation, if enacted into law, would alter current spending and revenue levels.
Captured assessed value: means the amount, as a percentage or stated sum, of increased assessed value that is utilized from year to year to finance the project costs contained within the development program. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 5222
Child care facilities: means facilities that are licensed by the Department of Health and Human Services that provide care for at least 6 children who are less than 18 years of age by persons who are not family members, legal guardians or other custodians of the children and that are operated out of nonresidential commercial buildings. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 5222
Commissioner: means the Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry or the commissioner's duly authorized agent. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 7 Sec. 1302
Commissioner: means the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 12 Sec. 10001
Commissioner: means the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 5222
Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
Council: means the Statewide Homeless Council. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 5002
Current assessed value: means the assessed value of the district certified by the municipal or plantation assessor as of April 1st of each year that the development district remains in effect. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 5222
Dealer: means any person or entity engaged in the business of buying livestock or poultry primarily for resale, whether the purchase or sale is completed by cash, delayed payment, transfer, exchange, barter or shipment on commission. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 7 Sec. 1302
Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
Department: means the Department of Economic and Community Development. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 5222
Development district: means a specified area within the corporate limits of a municipality or plantation that has been designated as provided under sections 5223 and 5226 and that is to be developed under a development program. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 5222
Development program: means a statement of means and objectives designed to provide new employment opportunities, retain existing employment, improve or broaden the tax base, construct or improve the physical facilities and structures or improve the quality of pedestrian and vehicular transportation, as described in section 5224, subsection 2. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 5222
Downtown: means the traditional central business district of a community that has served as the center of socioeconomic interaction in the community, characterized by a cohesive core of commercial and mixed-use buildings, often interspersed with civic, religious and residential buildings and public spaces, that are typically arranged along a main street and intersecting side streets and served by public infrastructure. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 5222
Downtown tax increment financing district: means a tax increment financing district described in a downtown redevelopment plan that is consistent with the downtown criteria established pursuant to rules of the department. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 5222
Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
Executor: A male person named in a will to carry out the decedent
Financial plan: means a statement of the project costs and sources of revenue required to accomplish the development program. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 5222
Fisheries and wildlife or marine resources project: means a project approved by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife or the Department of Marine Resources undertaken for the purpose of improving public access to freshwater or saltwater fisheries and wildlife resources of the State for fishing, hunting, research or observation or for conservation or improvement of the freshwater or saltwater fisheries and wildlife resources of the State. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 5222
Fuel assistance: means assistance paid to eligible households or to fuel vendors on behalf of an eligible household or directly to eligible tenants who pay heating costs as an undesignated portion of rent. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 4991
GIS: means an entire formula, pattern, compilation, program, device, method, technique, process, digital data base or system that electronically records, stores, reproduces and manipulates by computer geographic information system data. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 5 Sec. 1991
GIS data: means geographic information that has been compiled and digitized for use in geographic information systems by a state agency, either alone or in cooperation with other agencies. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 5 Sec. 1991
Grantee: means the person to whom a freehold estate or interest in land is conveyed. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72
Grantor: The person who establishes a trust and places property into it.
Grantor: means the person who conveys a freehold estate or interest in land. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72
Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
Homeless: means :

A. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 5002

in writing: include printing and other modes of making legible words. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72

Increased assessed value: means the valuation amount by which the current assessed value of a tax increment financing district exceeds the original assessed value of the district. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 5222

library: means the statewide network created pursuant to this subchapter by which data custodians or their designees organize and catalog public geographic information and provide access to that information to all levels of government and to the public. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 5 Sec. 2002

Livestock and poultry: includes all cattle, sheep, goats, swine, equines, members of the genus lama, bison, ratites, poultry, domesticated cervids and other animals raised for food or fiber. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 7 Sec. 1302

Lower income households: means low-income and very low-income households as defined by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development under the United States Housing Act of 1937, Public Law 75-412, 50 Stat. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 5002

Maintenance and operation: means all activities necessary to maintain facilities after they have been developed and all activities necessary to operate the facilities, including, but not limited to, informational, promotional and educational programs and safety and surveillance activities. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 5222

Moderate income households: means households in which gross income does not exceed 150% of the median income of the county or metropolitan statistical area in which the household is located. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 5002

Municipality: means a city or town, except as provided in chapter 225. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 2001

Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.

Office: means the Office of Information Technology. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 5 Sec. 1972

Original assessed value: means the assessed value of a development district as of March 31st of the tax year preceding the year in which it was designated and, for development districts designated on or after April 1, 2014, "original assessed value" means the taxable assessed value of a development district as of March 31st of the tax year preceding the year in which it was designated by the legislative body of a municipality or a plantation. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 5222

Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.

Person: means a human being or an organization. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 12 Sec. 10001

Person: means an individual, corporation, partnership, firm, organization or other legal entity. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 2001

Project costs: means any expenditures or monetary obligations incurred or expected to be incurred that are authorized by section 5225, subsection 1 and included in a development program. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 5222

Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.

Public law: A public bill or joint resolution that has passed both chambers and been enacted into law. Public laws have general applicability nationwide.

Public safety facility: means a facility used primarily for the functions of municipal or plantation government that ensure the protection of residents, organizations and institutions in the municipality or plantation, including the provision of law enforcement, fire and emergency services. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 5222

Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.

residence: refer to an individual's place of domicile. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 2001

Sewage: means the water-carried wastes created in and carried or to be carried away from any structure together with any surface or ground water or household and industrial waste that is present. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 2001

state authority: means the Maine State Housing Authority. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 5002

Tax increment: means real and personal property taxes assessed by a municipality or plantation, in excess of any state, county or special district tax, upon the increased assessed value of property in the development district. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 5222

Tax increment financing district: means a type of development district, or portion of a district, that uses tax increment financing under section 5227. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 5222

Tax shifts: means the effect on a municipality's or plantation's state revenue sharing, education subsidies and county tax obligations that results from the designation of a tax increment financing district and the capture of increased assessed value. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 5222

Tax year: means the period of time beginning on April 1st and ending on the succeeding March 31st. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 5222

Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.

Tort: A civil wrong or breach of a duty to another person, as outlined by law. A very common tort is negligent operation of a motor vehicle that results in property damage and personal injury in an automobile accident.

Transit: means transportation systems in which people are conveyed by means other than their own vehicles, including, but not limited to, bus systems, street cars, light rail and other rail systems. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 5222

Transit facility: means a place providing access to transit services, including, but not limited to, bus stops, bus stations, interchanges on a highway used by one or more transit providers, ferry landings, train stations, shuttle terminals and bus rapid transit stops. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 5222

Transit-oriented development: means a type of development that links land use with transit facilities to support and be supported by a transit system. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 5222

Transit-oriented development area: means an area of any shape such that no part of the perimeter is more than 1/4 mile from an existing or planned transit facility. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 5222

Transit-oriented development corridor: means a strip of land of any length and up to 500 feet on either side of a roadway serving as a principal transit route. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 5222

Transit-oriented development district: means a tax increment financing district consisting of a transit-oriented development area or a transit-oriented development corridor. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 5222