Gov. Janet Mills on Wednesday extended for another 30 days the state of civil emergency in Maine due to the coronavirus public health emergency. Most states have taken similar measures, Mills’ office said. This allows Maine to draw down federal funds to deal with the virus. The Mills Administration cited several statistics showing that Maine is among the lowest states in the U.S. in terms of the prevalence of COVID-19.

The Maine State Office of the Treasurer has released new Municipal Revenue Sharing Projections for Fiscal Year 2021 (July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2021). These figures are significant for municipalities, especially during these uncertain financial times, as they budget for the months and year ahead.

As a result of the national and local protests sparked by the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis, leaders in Greater Portland are reflecting on what they can do to create a more just and equitable society for people of color. GPCOG will host a summer series of webinars for local leaders on racial equity with content provided by national-level presenters and local experts. The next session will be held on Aug. 11 starting at noon.

The Mills Administration and state Department of Education today said public schools in all 16 counties can reopen this fall, providing they follow detailed safety precautions made necessary by the COVID-19 public health emergency. State officials say they will revisit the “green” classifications, which allowed all schools to open, every two weeks once the school year begins. If coronavirus statistics change locally or statewide, they said, the status of public schools could change.

One thing’s for sure: The 2020 Maine Municipal Association Convention will be like no other convention before it. On Wednesday, Oct. 7, there will be a full day of convention activities held before a small audience, and live-streamed from the Augusta Civic Center to members statewide. After that, on work days from Oct. 8-15, MMA will offer a series of informative and current Zoom-based webinars, on topics ranging from local roads and culverts to COVID-19 to overseeing the major 2020 election. The MMA preliminary program was posted today, highlighted by four dynamic, featured speakers.

Each year, member municipalities have an opportunity to vote on the election of the proposed Maine Municipal Association Vice President and municipal officials to serve on the MMA Executive Committee. A five-member Nominating Committee was appointed to review nominations submitted by municipal officials and conduct interviews with those municipal officials interested in serving as the MMA Vice President and Executive Committee. The MMA Nominating Committee completed its task in May and put forth a Proposed Slate of Nominees to member municipalities.  It is now time for each member municipality to cast its official vote. 

The U.S. Census Bureau reports that nationally, 62% of Americans have responded to requests to provide data about where they live, how many people are in their households, and the like. But in Maine, the response figure is 54%. Census officials are asking municipal leaders to help with the data collection effort, noting that millions of dollars in federal funding can hang in the balance for Maine. The Census Bureau provided videos with more personalized information.

Gov. Janet Mills’ Administration has begun a second round of funding for Maine municipalities and Tribal governments under the Keep Maine Healthy 2020 Municipal COVID-19 Awareness Campaign.  Roughly $4 million is available this round. This program provides financial assistance for municipalities to conduct public health activities aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19 during the summer and fall tourist season.  The funding period for Round 2 will be Aug. 1 - Oct. 31, 2020.  Applications must be submitted to Maine CDC by Friday July 31, 2020.  Municipalities must submit a completed application along with a one-page narrative and proposed budget to be considered.  Also, MMA will host a Zoom webinar, featuring speakers from the Maine CDC, about this program this week – on Thursday, July 23 at 9 a.m. 

The SolarAPP team at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory is seeking municipal participation in a program to pilot an online, instant permitting solution for residential rooftop solar projects. The program will be part of a webinar scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 5. NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency.

The organization GrowSmart Maine is offering all municipalities complimentary memberships this year, which includes reduced fees to many GrowSmart events. This organization specializes in issues such as growth and development, housing choices, energy efficiency, broadband interconnectivity – and more.