| Title
19 § 306. Appropriation: |
| (a) |
An
annual appropriation to class 1, 2, and 3 town highways shall be
made. This appropriation shall increase or decrease over
the previous year's appropriation by the same percentage as any
increase or decrease in the transportation agency's total
appropriations funded by transportation fund revenues, excluding
the town highway appropriations for that year. The funds
appropriated shall be distributed to towns as follows: |
|
(1)
six percent of the state's annual town highway appropriation
shall be apportioned to class 1 town highways. The
apportionment for each town shall be that town's percentage of
class 1 town highways of the total class 1 town highway mileage
in the state; |
|
(2)
forty-four percent of the state's annual town highway
appropriation shall be apportioned to class 2 town highways.
The apportionment for each town shall be that town's percentage
of class 2 town highways of the total class 2 town highway
mileage in the state; |
|
(3)
fifty percent of the state's annual town highway appropriation
shall be apportioned to class 3 town highways. The
apportionment for each town shall be that town's percentage of
class 3 town highways of the total class 3 town highway mileage
in the state; |
|
(4)
moneys apportioned under subdivisions (1), (2), and (3) shall be
distributed to each town in quarterly payments beginning July 15
in each year; |
|
(5)
each town shall use the monies apportioned to it solely for town
highway construction, improvement, and maintenance purposes or
as the nonfederal share for public transit assistance. The
selectmen shall be personally liable to the state, in a civil
action brought by the attorney general, for making any
unauthorized expenditures from money apportioned to the town
under this section. |
| (b) |
There
shall be an annual appropriation for town bridge engineering
services and for aid in maintaining or constructing bridges
having a span of six feet or more on class 1, 2, and 3 town
highways. Annually the agency shall distribute these funds
according to a program plan based upon applications submitted by
the towns. With the approval of the agency, funds may be
used for alternatives which eliminate the need for a bridge or
bridges, including, but not limited to, construction or
reconstruction of highways, purchase of parcels of land that
would be landlocked by closure of a bridge or bridges, payment
of damages for loss of highway access and substitution of other
means of access. |
| (c) |
There
shall be an annual appropriation for emergency aid in repairing,
building, or rebuilding class 1, 2, or 3 highways and bridges
damaged by natural or man-made disasters of such magnitude
that the state aid is both reasonable and necessary to preserve
the public good. Emergency payments shall be approved by
the agency. |
| (d) |
[Repealed]
There shall be an annual appropriation to match available
federal aid for the construction or reconstruction of town
highways. |
| (e) |
There
shall be an annual appropriation of grants to municipalities for
maintenance and construction of bridges and culverts on class 1,
2, and 3 town highways. The appropriation shall be
allocated by the secretary after consideration of applications
submitted by the towns. |
| (f) |
There
shall be an annual appropriation for grants to municipalities
for reconstruction or resurfacing of class 2 town highways.
The appropriation shall be allocated by the secretary after
consideration of applications submitted by the towns. |
| (g) |
There
shall be an annual appropriation for supplemental aid to
municipalities having class 1 town highways with more than two
lanes. The agency shall distribute this aid on the basis
of its measurement of the additional class 1 town highways with
more than two lanes. The secretary may adopt rules to
govern apportionment of supplemental aid. |
| (h) |
Within
60 days of the town's annual meeting, the select board of each
town shall forward to the agency on forms provided by it a plan
for the maintenance and construction of all highways under their
control for the following year. The plan shall be made
with the advice of the district transportation administrator. |
