SPO Publications - listed by topic
These are reports and studies produced by the State Planning
Office in response to directives from the Governor or Legislature.
Generally, the reports date from 2000 forward. If you are
looking for a report that was produced before 2000, contact
Linda LaPlante . For reports and other information related to a program
topic, please visit that program's page.
Newsletters
Annual and Biennial Reports
Coastal
Community Service
Economic Forecasts
Economic Studies
Energy
Government
Hunger and Poverty
Land for Maine's Future
Land Use Planning and Sprawl
Natural Resources
Recycling and Waste Management
Newsletters
Annual and Biennial Reports
- Report to the Governor and Legislature's State and Local
Government committee outlining work accomplished over the
previous year to advance the Maine Commission for Community
Service's mission. (Annual) (PDF)
- Report to the Governor and Legislature's Natural Resources
Committee that outlines the Committee's activities, priorities,
and recommendations on emerging policy concerns that affect
service center communities, rural lands, and development
sprawl. The Community Preservation Advisory Committee was
established by the Maine Legislature to advise the Governor,
Legislature, and other state agencies on matters relating
to community preservation. (Annual) (PDF)
- Work plan and report to the Legislature that outlines
a process and priorities for interagency coordination of
the State's activities related to energy. It includes a
summary of activities completed or underway and outlines
anticipated activities for next year.
- Report to the Governor and the Legislature's Natural
Resources Committee that describes the Land & Water
Resources Council's activities in past year and notes
activities that
the Council anticipates in the upcoming year. The Land &
Water Resources Council was established by the Legislature
to advise the Governor, Legislature, and state agencies
in the formulation of state policy regarding natural resources
management to achieve state environmental, social, and
economic
objectives. (Annual)
- Report to the to the joint standing committee of the Legislature
having jurisdiction over matters pertaining to state parks
and public lands on expenditures from the Land for Maine
's Future and the Public Access to Maine Waters funds and
revisions to the program's strategies and guidelines. (Biennial)
(PDF)
- Report on the Maine economy reviews state economic performance
during the prior year, outlines the near-term economic outlook
for Maine , New England, and the nation, identifies some
of the issues important to Maine 's economic performance
during the next few years, and highlights ten key state
economic events of the past year. (Annual) (PDF)
-
The 122nd Session of the Maine State Legislature enacted L.D. 1931, An Act to Encourage Energy Independence for Maine. Section 9 of that Act required the Governor’s Office of Energy Independence and Security to submit a report concerning home heating in Maine to the Joint Standing Committee on Utilities and Energy. (Annual) (PDF)
- The report describes the priorities set and the actions
taken toward implementing the 75 recommendations that came
out of the November 2003 Blaine House conference on Natural
Resource-based Industries. It gives a rating of “good progress,”
“some progress,” or “no progress” for each recommendation.
(Annual) (PDF 1.03 MB)
- Report to the Legislature on the subject of poverty in
Maine includes information on poverty among children and
adults, regional differences in poverty rates and indicators,
conditions responsible for changes from the prior year,
and expectations for the coming year and the economic condition
of the State's communities. (Annual) (PDF)
Report
of the Maine Consensus Economic Forecasting Commission
- Twice a year (February 1 and November 1), the Consensus
Economic Forecasting Commission analyzes economic assumptions
and submits a report to the Governor, Legislature, and Revenue
Forecasting Committee with its analyses, findings, and recommendations
for economic assumptions related to revenue forecasting
for the next fiscal biennium. (Bi-annual) (PDF)
Report
of the State Revenue Forecasting Committee
- Twice a year (March 1 and December 1), the State Revenue
Forecasting Committee submits a report to the Governor and
Legislature with analyses, findings, and recommendations
relating to the projection of revenues for the General Fund
and the Highway Fund based on economic assumptions recommended
by the Consensus Economic Forecasting Commission. (Bi-annual)
(PDF)
Solid Waste Disposal Generation and Disposal Capacity Report
- The State Planning Office is required by 38 M.R.S.A.
2124-A to report to the Legislature on statewide generation
of solid waste, statewide recycling rates, and available
statewide disposal capacity. The purpose is to review and
analyze how communities and businesses in Maine manage
their solid waste, to identify potential future management
issues, and to measure Maine's recycling progress. (Biennial)
(PDF)
State
Planning Office Strategic Plan
- The State Planning Office develops its strategic plan
on December 1 of each even-numbered year. The plan lays
out the office's mission, goals, objectives, strategies,
and budgetary performance measures. It also provides an
assessment of the environment that influences the implementation
of the office's mission. (Biennial) (PDF)
Coastal
- Highlights of accomplishments of the Maine Coastal Program
which annually distributes over two million dollars in federal
funds—matched by state and local resources— to remediate
coastal pollution, improve regulatory oversight, promote
smarter municipal planning, foster the economic health of
coastal towns, involve citizens in caring for the coast,
and address other high-priority issues. (May 2004) (PDF)
- A report for section 309 of the Coastal Zone Management
Act. (April 2001) (PDF)
- Legislation passed by the 120th Legislature directed the
Land and Water Resources Council to review the effectiveness
of the State's approved Coastal Management Plan in meeting
public access and working waterfront policy goals. (December
2002) (PDF)
Community Service
- Annual Report to the Governor and Legislature's State
and Local Government committee outlining work accomplished
over the previous year to advance the Maine Commission for
Community Service's mission. (Annual) (PDF)
- Strategic Plan of the Maine Commission for Community (June
2002)
Economic Forecasts
Report of the Maine Consensus Economic Forecasting Commission
- Twice a year (February 1 and November 1), the Consensus
Economic Forecasting Commission on analyzes economic assumptions
and submits a report to the Governor, Legislature, and Revenue
Forecasting Committee with its analyses, findings, and recommendations
for economic assumptions related to revenue forecasting
for the next fiscal biennium. (Bi-annual) (PDF)
Report
of the State Revenue Forecasting Committee
- Twice a year (March 1 and December 1), the State Revenue
Forecasting Committee submits a report to the Governor and
Legislature with analyses, findings, and recommendations
relating to the projection of revenues for the General Fund
and the Highway Fund based on economic assumptions recommended
by the Consensus Economic Forecasting Commission. (Bi-annual)
(PDF)
Economic Studies
- LD 1 requires the Maine State Planning Office to
analyze government spending by the State, school administrative
units, municipalities, and counties, establish performance
indicators, and report on progress toward the tax burden
reduction goal. (January
2007)
- Click here for a summary report and supporting materials
- The State Planning Office has been charged with
the task of establishing a process for collecting county
and municipal revenue and spending data to serve the data
needs of the US Census Bureau. This report analyzes current
data collection methods and makes a recommendation for
a establishing a common chart of account for use by county
and municipalities. (January 2006) (PDF 51KB)
- Report on the Maine economy reviews state economic performance
during the prior year, outlines the near-term economic outlook
for Maine , New England, and the nation, identifies some
of the issues important to Maine 's economic performance
during the next few years, and highlights ten key state
economic events of the past year. (Annual) (PDF)
- A report by the Margaret Chase Smith Center for Public
Policy and Department of Resource Economics and Policy at
the University of Maine, which was funding, in part, by
the State Planning Office. It looks at the effects of the
property tax cap if it had existed in 2003. (September 2004)
(PDF)
- The report describes the impact of the dairy industry
on Maine 's economy, landscape, and environment and discusses
the issues that affect the industry including milk prices
and milk pricing policies. (March 2003)
- This report, The Golden Opportunity II, represents an
8-month effort of 80 people. It builds on the foundation
of the first report (A Golden Opportunity: How Maine Can
Enhance the Retirement Industry), but has taken the research
to the next level. The recommendations in this report are,
in many cases, more refined, based on critical research,
and presented in greater detail. PDF
(209 K) (December 1999)
- The 118th Maine Legislature directed the Maine State Planning
Office, in partnership with the Department of Transportation
and the Department of Economic and Community Development,
to prepare an economic impact analysis for the proposed
construction of a four-lane, border-to-border east-west
highway. (September 1999)
Energy
- Work plan and report to the Legislature that outlines
a process and priorities for interagency coordination of
the State's activities related to energy. It includes a
summary of activities completed or underway and outlines
anticipated activities for next year. (Annual)
-
The 122nd Session of the Maine State Legislature enacted L.D. 1931, An Act to Encourage Energy Independence for Maine. Section 9 of that Act required the Governor’s Office of Energy Independence and Security to submit a report concerning home heating in Maine to the Joint Standing Committee on Utilities and Energy. (Annual) (PDF)
Maine
Energy Policy: Overview and Opportunities for Improvement
- In its 2003 session, the Legislature directed the Energy
Resources Council, a committee of heads of state departments
and agencies with energy-related missions, to conduct a
review of the state's energy policies and make recommendations
for their improvement (December 2003) (PDF)
- This directory, published by the Energy Resources Council,
is intended as an easy reference to energy-related programs
and resources in Maine state government (January 2003)
- The Climate Change Action Plan, a project of the State
Planning Office working in partnership with the Margaret
Chase Smith Center , University of Maine , with the advice
of a Climate Change Task Force, lays out actions that industry,
business, government, and citizens can take to achieve
greenhouse
gas emission reductions in Maine (2000).
Government
Facilitating Government Cooperation
- This report was prepared for the Legislature’s State and Local Government Committee in accordance with PL 2004, Resolve 130. The report outlines the progress and status of state agencies implementation of Resolve 130, which directs agencies to establish a process whereby municipalities can file statutorily-required state reports jointly when they are involved in a regional effort. (January 15, 2007) (PDF 190 KB)
Model Chart of Accounts for Maine Governments
- The Legislature’s State and Local Government Committee
directed a state and local working group to develop a
model chart of accounts that may be voluntarily adopted
by municipalities,
counties, and other local governments. The structure,
which coincides with the one that is now required by the
Maine
Department of Education, also includes a basic municipal
chart of accounts that can easily be used by small towns
in Maine. (November 1, 2006) (PDF 156 KB)
Report on Municipal Capabilities to become Internet Service
Providers
- Report to the Joint Standing Committee on Utilities and
Energy. Prepared by the Maine State Planning Office in
conjunction with the Maine Department of Economic and Community
Development, Maine Office of Information Technology, and
the Maine Public Utilities Commission. (September 2006)
(PDF 222KB)
Regional
Opportunities for the Town of Cooper
- The Legislature’s State and Local Government
Committee directed SPO to assist Cooper with initiating
cooperative efforts with adjacent towns to share services
to address
vacancy issues. This report describes regional opportunities
for the community. (February 1, 2006) (PDF 613KB)
State
Planning Office Strategic Plan
- The State Planning Office develops its strategic plan
on December 1 of each even-numbered year. The plan lays
out the office's mission, goals, objectives, strategies,
and budgetary performance measures. It also provides an
assessment of the environment that influences the implementation
of the office's mission. (Biennial) (PDF)
State
Planning Office: Government Evaluation Act Review
- The Legislature periodically reviews agencies of state
government in order to evaluate their efficacy and performance.
The State Planning Office submits a report to the Legislature's
Joint Standing Committee on State and Local Government that
includes a review of agency management and organization,
program delivery, goals and objectives, statutory mandates,
and fiscal accountability. (November 2007)
- GIS needs assessment and analysis and strategic plan for
developing The Maine Public Library of Geographic Information;
Prepared for The Resolve 23 GIS Steering Committee (January
2002)
- This guide is designed to help Maine 's state agencies
with strategic planning. It outlines Maine 's strategic
plan model, lays out the planning process, helps the agency
identify critical issues, and guides the development of
goals, objectives, and strategies. (April 2002)
- This report is the product of the Task Force on Intergovernmental
Structure, a 21-member group of municipal, county, and state
officials. The Commission was authorized by Governor Angus
King in an executive order for the purpose of relieving
property taxes through more efficient delivery of local
services and reducing duplication and fragmentation of services
between levels of government. (November 1997) (PDF)
Hunger and Poverty
Land for Maine's Future
- Report to the to the joint standing committee of the Legislature
having jurisdiction over matters pertaining to state parks
and public lands on expenditures from the Land for Maine's
Future and the Public Access to Maine Waters funds and revisions
to the program's strategies and guidelines. (Biennial)
(PDF)
- This Muskie School of Public Service at the University
of Southern Maine and the Margaret Chase Smith Center for
Public Policy at the University of Maine report evaluates
the Land for Maine's Future program's values, accomplishments,
challenges, and opportunities (January 2004) (PDF 1.2MB)
- Accompanying
Executive Summary (*PDF 697 KB)
Land Use Planning and Sprawl
Four-year Growth Management Program Evaluation (PDF 1.6MB)
- 30-A MRSA § 4331 requires the State Planning Office to conduct an ongoing evaluation process to determine the effectiveness of state, regional, and local efforts under this chapter to achieve the purposes and goals of the Growth Management Act. The evaluation looks at public input received, evaluation criteria, and program resources. (February 2007)
An
Evaluation of the Growth Management Act and its Implementation (PDF 631KB)
- Resolve 2004, Chapter 73 directed the State Planning
Office to review the efficacy of the state's Growth Management
Act and report back to the 122nd Legislature with findings
and recommendations. The Resolve asked the Office to do two
things: 1. Review and make recommendations that would improve
the planning process; and 2. Review the Growth Management
Act and make recommendations that would lead to more effective
land use. (March 2006)
- Report to the Governor and Legislature's Natural Resources
Committee that outlines the Committee's activities, priorities,
and recommendations on emerging policy concerns that affect
service center communities, rural lands, and development
sprawl. The Community Preservation Advisory Committee was
established by the Maine Legislature to advise the Governor,
Legislature, and other state agencies on matters relating
to community preservation. (Annual) (PDF)
- Report to the Governor resulting from Executive Order
16 FY04/05; An Order to Strengthen and Restore Maine's Downtowns
(October 2004) (PDF)
- Report to the Legislature's Natural Resources Committee
which the Office is required to submit every four years
(30-A MRSA § 4331). The last evaluation, which was
called Continuing Challenges and Growing Opportunities,
was done in 1999. (February 2003)
- The purpose of this rule is to specify the information
and methods that the office will use to identify municipalities
and, under certain circumstances, parts of municipalities
that serve as regional service centers and are thus identified
as service center communities in accordance with 30-A MRSA
§4301, sub-§14-A. (October 2002)
- The State Planning Office and the Maine Building Rehabilitation
Code (MBRC) Advisory Council worked for five months to identify
policy concerns, begin reviewing and developing building
standards, identify possible fiscal incentives, and identify
possible conflicting federal, state, and local laws that
inhibit renovation projects. (February 2002) (PDF)
- A report on Smart Growth and the impact of land use decisions
on Maine 's communities, environment, and countryside. (January
2002) (PDF)
Maine's
Subdivision Law and Home Rule
- A PL 2001, c. 359 §7, required that the State Planning
Office create a catalog of municipal subdivision definitions;
prepare a legislative history of Maine subdivision law with
a focus on home rule authority; and complete a list of possible
strategies to coordinate subdivision review and title search
procedures. ( December 2001) (PDF 211K)
- The Joint Study Committee to Study Growth Management was
established in the 1 st Regular Session of the 120th Legislature
and was composed of 9 members of the Legislature. The Committee
was charged with studying issues related to sprawl and growth
management in Maine . (December 2001) (PDF)
Making
Schools Important to Neighborhoods Again
- A Joint Report by the State Board of Education and the
State Planning Office to the Joint Committee on Natural
Resources, May 2001 (PDF 1.0 MB)
• Report to the Legislature from the Task Force
to Study Growth Management. The Task Force was charged with
studying the growth management laws with the goal of making
them more responsive to the issues of sprawl. (December 2000)
(PDF)
- Recommendations of Governor Angus S. King's Cabinet Committee
on Smart Growth (January 2000) (PDF)
- Report to the Legislature. The mission of the Task Force
was to encourage orderly development and discourage development
sprawl in order to enhance the historic role of downtowns,
strengthen the state's regional service center communities,
and promote rural enterprise and preserve the open lands
on which rural enterprise depends. January 2000 (PDF)
- This seminal report first, published is the foundation
for SPO's sprawl and smart growth work which followed (May
1997) (PDF)
Natural Resources
- The report describes the priorities set and the actions
taken toward implementing the 75 recommendations that came
out of the November 2003 Blaine House conference on Natural
Resource-based Industries. It gives a rating of “good progress,” “some
progress,” or “no progress” for each recommendation. (Annual)
- Report to the Governor and the Legislature's Natural Resources
Committee that describes the Land & Water Resources
Council's activities in past year and notes activities that
the Council anticipates in the upcoming year. The Land &
Water Resources Council was established by the Legislature
to advise the Governor, Legislature, and state agencies
in the formulation of state policy regarding natural resources
management to achieve state environmental, social, and economic
objectives. (Annual) (PDF)
- Report from the November 2003 conference with 75 recommendations
to Governor Baldacci to enhance Maine 's Natural Resource-based
Industries (February 2004)
- A 70-page report with 12 primary indicators that, taken
together, paint a picture of the health of the natural resource
sectors (combined and as separate sectors). Also includes
related data and an analysis of factors that impact the
performance of the industries. (November 2004) (PDF 695
KB)
- The 119th Maine Legislature directed the State Planning
Office to undertake a study of the current condition of
and outlook for Maine 's fishing, farming and forestry industries.
PDF (2.3 MB) (March 2001)
- In 1999, the Legislature enacted an “Act to Improve Public
Water Supply Protection” (Public Law 1999 c. 761) that charged
the Land and Water Resources Council to prepare a report
containing an education strategy for public water supply
protection aimed at municipalities and the general public.
(March 2001) (PDF)
- The state Wetland Conservation Plan was developed by a
task force and multiple working groups. It is intended to
provide a snapshot of the state's ideas and priorities to
achieve wetland conservation, and to implement the recommendations
that were made in the conservation planning process. (September
2001) (PDF 332K)
Report
on the Use of Incentives to Keep Land In Productive Farming,
Fishing, and Forestry Use
- Report presented to the Joint Standing Committees on Natural
Resources, Taxation, and Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
of the 120th Maine Legislature, with an evaluation of and
recommendations on the use of incentives to keep land in
productive farming, fishing, and forestry use. PDF
(201 K) (February 2001)
Recycling and Waste Management
Solid Waste Policy Review Task Force
- State law requires the State Planning Office, at
five-year intervals, to consult with those involved in
solid waste management to review state solid waste management
policy,
specifically in six areas: the timeline and establishment
process for the development of a state-owned solid waste
disposal facility; host community benefits; the development
of commercial solid waste facilities and the economic
competitiveness of commercial facilities; the appropriateness
of developing
regional disposal facilities to better serve municipalities
and businesses; the continued development and expansion
of beneficial reuse and recycling; and the proper role
of municipal
zoning and other local control in regard to siting, expansion
and operation of solid waste disposal facilities. The
office reports its findings and recommendations to the
Governor,
the Department of Environmental Protection, and the Legislature’s
Natural Resources Committee.
Solid
Waste Disposal Generation and Disposal Capacity Report
- The State Planning Office is required by 38 M.R.S.A. 2124-A
to report to the Legislature on statewide generation of
solid waste, statewide recycling rates, and available statewide
disposal capacity. The purpose is to review and analyze
how communities and businesses in Maine manage their solid
waste, to identify potential future management issues, and
to measure Maine 's recycling progress. (Biennial) (PDF)
- The Waste Management and Recycling Plan serves as an important
source of information and policy guidance for solid waste
issues in Maine . The development of this document is part
of an ongoing planning process for managing Maine 's solid
waste; an updated plan is submitted to the legislature every
five years. (1998) (PDF 234K)
- Executive
Summary (1998) (PDF 53k)
- Report from the Committee To Study Reimbursement Rates
for Maine 's Bottle Redemption Businesses and Other Issues
Related to the Handling and Collection of Returnable Containers
(December 2002) (PDF 500K)
- With the help of a study committee, this report undertakes
an analysis of plastics generation by type and current method
of disposal; studies the feasibility of expanding the State's
bottle deposit laws; studies the feasibility of reducing
the toxicity of waste; recommends market-based recycling
opportunities for plastics; and recommends incentives for
expanded in-state end uses for plastics. (March 2003) (PDF
241K)
- Appendix
D – Plastic Resins Estimated to be in Maine 's Municipal
Solid Waste (PDF 78K)
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