A group called the New Partnership on Infrastructure has published a guide aimed at better coordinating federal infrastructure needs – major highways, bridges, ports and airports – with local needs. The effort is backed by many municipal leaders from around the U.S. The 41-page “playbook” emphasizes the importance of local job creation and innovation in prioritizing and awarding federal infrastructure projects.

Maine Municipal Association’s Risk Management Services Department and Travelers Insurance will co-present a workshop on Oct. 28, highlighting what you need to know about the inspections of boiler and pressure vessels. The training will begin at 10 a.m. and is expected to last for one hour. It is recommended for people who are responsible for jurisdictional licensing and maintenance of this equipment.

Two programs – one administered by Efficiency Maine, the other by Central Maine Power – are open for grant applications for funding that will help install Level 2 EV charger plugs for electric-power vehicles. These are pilot programs approved by the Maine Legislature to inform future consideration regarding the “electrification of transportation.” The application review processes starts on Oct. 1, so September is the month to apply.

The Maine Department of Transportation released an updated and reduced  FY 2021 Local Road Assistance Program (LRAP) funding distribution projection, which is anticipated to be 6.64% lower than 2020 distributions. Projected amounts by community are available by clicking the link in the attachment below.  Annual Certification, forms previously due by Aug. 1 are now due by Nov. 1, and will be distributed shortly. If you have any questions please contact Pete Coughlan, Director of the Local Roads Center, at 624-3266 or via email at: peter.coughlan@maine.gov.

The Maine Municipal Association, our members and guest speakers responded to the COVID-19 public health emergency with a series of webinars designed to help municipal leaders and staff deal with the fallout from the coronavirus. Five training videos are now available on our website, including: Budgeting During Uncertain Times; Navigating Stress and Change; De-escalation Techniques; the state’s Keep ME Healthy program; and, a Q&A video explaining how the state is weighing economic development priorities at this time. Some videos require member passwords for access.

The Maine Department of Health & Human Services has issued new General Assistance (GA) “maximums” effective for the time period 10/1/20 – 9/30/21, which municipalities must use in the administration of local general assistance programs. All municipalities must annually adopt the most recent maximum assistance numbers issued by DHHS before October 1st. To update local maximum assistance limits, the municipal officers may, after notice and hearing, amend the municipality’s GA ordinance to replace existing appendices with updated versions. State law also requires that municipalities notify DHHS whenever local GA ordinances are updated.

MMA Legal Services has also updated MMA's Model General Assistance Ordinance to incorporate updated appendices. The ordinance and new DHHS maximums are available at the link below (login required).

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection is administering $5 million in a single round of grant funding to assist municipalities with stream crossing upgrades and replacements. These monies fund competitive grants that match local funding for the upgrade of municipal culverts at stream crossings, which to date has resulted in financial assistance to over 100 projects statewide. The projects replace culverts that are failing and at risk of complete washouts, improve fish spawning habitat, eliminate undersized and other impassable culverts and reduce erosion impacts to streams, brooks and lakes. The grant RFP application is available starting Sept. 1, with proposals due by Nov. 16.

The Maine Council on Aging will hold its 2020 Virtual Wisdom Summit on Sept. 16 and 23, with a theme of "Aging Well Through COVID." This is an opportunity for municipal officials to brush up on their knowledge about issues facing older people and the providers who care for them, hear from state and national leaders about problems and solutions for some of our biggest challenges, and learn strategies to more effectively serve older citizens. 

E2 Tech, the Environmental & Energy Technology Council of Maine, will host a Zoom webinar on solid waste processing and recycling on Sept. 16, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. The solid waste industry has been “in the news” of late, as the recycling market has declined for several reasons, and more waste is being diverted to landfills. Registration for the webinar is free for elected municipal officials.

Gov. Janet Mills on Wednesday issued an Executive Order affecting the Nov. 3, 2020 general election. Her order includes important new provisions, such as not allowing more than 50 people into a polling place at a time, requirements for voting booths and outside voter lines, and new dates and rules for absentee voting. These changes – which affect an election the likes of which we’ve not seen before – are due to the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency.