11/15/2019 - MMA Has New Executive Leadership Christine Landes, city manager in Gardiner, soon will ascend to the position of president of the Maine Municipal Association’s Executive Committee. James Gardner, Jr., town manager in Easton, will be MMA’s new vice president. Landes will take over her duties of MMA president effective Jan. 1, 2020, leading the 12-member committee that steers MMA on operational and budgeting priorities. Hampden Mayor Ivan McPike and Mars Hill Town Manager David Cyr also will join the committee.
11/07/2019 - University of New Hampshire Sustainability Fellows UNH Sustainability Fellowships pair exceptional students from across the U.S. with host partners in New England to work on transformative sustainability initiatives that lead to integrated solutions. Sustainability Fellows, mentored by the UNH team and dedicated individuals from our partner organizations, undertake challenging, site-specific, summer projects, achieve high-impact results, and receive a competitive stipend for their contributions. Maine municipalities have been asked to consider this opportunity. The deadline to apply is Dec. 2.
10/30/2019 - Sample Marijuana Home Cultivation Ordinance Maine’s Adult Use Marijuana Law allows municipalities to limit the total number of adult use marijuana plants that can be grown for personal use on a single parcel. MMA’s Legal Services has developed a sample ordinance for member municipalities wanting to do so.
10/24/2019 - New MMA Video for Recently Elected Officials The Maine Municipal Association today released a video that provides important tips and guidance for newly elected municipal officials. The video, which is five minutes long, is based on a print brochure that MMA published several years ago in consultation with municipal officials and MMA Legal and State & Federal Relations staffs. It is narrated by Portland City Council member Jill Duson and was produced in cooperation with Marshall Communications of Augusta.
10/21/2019 - Cities, Towns and Cybersecurity The National League of Cities released a 36-page report, “Protecting Our Data: What Cities Should Know About Cybersecurity." NLC wrote this report for local elected and appointed officials, especially those who may not have a background in cybersecurity or network management. It was completed in collaboration with the Public Technology Institute. The guide outlines 10 recommended first steps for city officials hoping to improve cybersecurity, includes case studies of local security breaches (including when NLC itself was hit by ransomware) and offers a checklist local IT directors can use to get started.
10/18/2019 - Fiscal Survey Deadline Extended Maine Municipal Association’s State & Federal Relations staff has extended the deadline of completing its annual Fiscal Survey until Nov. 15. This year, MMA moved to an online data collection system for the Local Government Fiscal Survey, which is conducted each year in conjunction with the U.S. Census Bureau. The information gathered in this survey is beneficial for federal, state, and local government officials and is used to generate MMA’s Fiscal Survey Report. It is one of a very few sources of comprehensive municipal revenue and expenditure data.
10/18/2019 - Environmental Policy Updates Learn about new environmental policies recently enacted by the Maine Legislature in the areas of climate change, chemical regulation, product packaging and other sectors. The panel will include speakers from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Natural Resources Council of Maine and the Maine Municipal Association. The event will take place at the Governor Hill Mansion on Wednesday, Nov. 6 in Augusta. Municipal officials can attend for free, although advance registration is needed for the event organizer, E2Tech.
10/16/2019 - MMA Convention Presentations Many written portions of the presentations from the Maine Municipal Association’s Oct. 2-3 Convention in Bangor are now available online. The event was a success. Our four featured speakers performed admirably, and 122 exhibitors and sponsors supported the event – a record for MMA. We hope to see you next year, Oct. 7-8, 2020, at the Augusta Civic Center.
10/16/2019 - MMA Issues FOAA Guidance In light of a “blanket” Freedom of Access request that members are receiving from a Florida-based organization, the Legal Services Department at Maine Municipal Association has produced guidelines on how to respond. Members can also contact MMA with follow-up questions.
10/15/2019 - Efficiency Maine Rebate, Grant Programs Efficiency Maine is offering $7,500 “instant rebates” to municipalities and tribal governments for the purchase or lease of new electric vehicles for government offices and fleets. Also, the organization has opened a second round of its grant program for bidders that want to host, purchase and install public Level 2 electric vehicle charging stations in areas where there is a high likelihood of significant use and longevity.
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