The bill amends Section 45-13-5.1 of the General Laws in Chapter 45-13 entitled "State Aid" to include provisions for state-owned real estate within the town of Exeter, which will no longer be exempt from state appropriations in lieu of taxes. The amendment specifies that the General Assembly shall annually appropriate a sum equal to twenty-seven percent (27%) of all tax that would have been collected had the real property been taxable. This payment is also extended to real estate owned by the state within the town of Exeter, despite previous restrictions. Additionally, the bill stipulates that such payments should initially be used to create a municipal police department in communities without one or to offset costs paid to the state for state police coverage, and thereafter, payments may be reduced proportionally if the municipality or local districts suspend or reduce essential services to eligible facilities.

The bill also clarifies that the town of Exeter has no duty to provide public safety or other ordinary services to state properties unless it establishes a municipal police department. The bill includes changes to the language, such as inserting "initially applied to" and "reduce such" while deleting "suspends" and "reduces" to adjust the text to plural forms. The act is set to take effect upon passage, indicating immediate changes to the law regarding state aid and the responsibilities of the town of Exeter in providing services to state-owned properties.

Statutes affected:
2341: 45-13-5.1