Once again, it’s time for Maine municipalities to consider entering the National Civic League’s All-America City contest, which will recognize 10 U.S. communities for enhancing health and well-being through civic engagement. More than 500 communities have received this recognition since 1949, including five from Maine. The deadline to enter is Feb. 19, 2020.

Here's the 2020 LD 1 worksheet, as produced by the State & Federal Relations staff at the Maine Municipal Association.

The City of Lewiston Police Department will host an introductory course on using Small, Unmanned Aircraft Systems from Jan. 6 to Jan. 17, 2020, to be instructed by Dan LeClair of the University of Maine at Augusta. Attendees will receive the information needed to pass the Federal Aviation Administration exam on drone use by remote pilots. The cost to attend is $500.

Maine Municipal Association’s Legal Services Department produced a 13-minute video that walks town and city officials through the current state of legalized marijuana in Maine, with summaries, tips and updates on the law. The video by Staff Attorney Rebecca McMahon covers important basics, ranging from the legal “opt in” requirement to regulating and working with various marijuana establishments. 

The state Department of Administrative and Financial Services has released the new LD 1 worksheet, setting the personal income growth factor at 2.89 percent.

Another month, another heads up from a municipal member that it received a fraudulent email from a would-be cyber thief directing it to make a direct deposit into a non-municipal account. The email address cleverly resembled that of a municipal official from the same community. This “phishing” effort was unsuccessful, but the Maine Municipal Association was asked to raise awareness about cyber security vis a vis this latest effort. Vigilance is important. Officials from the City of Saco led a workshop at the 2019 MMA Convention on this very topic. One of their helpful handouts is provided via the link below. MMA is also creating a special section of its website to provide resources about cyber security, including best practice examples from Maine and across the U.S.

In 2019, the Maine Council on Aging (MCOA) led efforts to pass LD 301, An Act to Help Older Adults Age in Place Through Comprehensive Planning, encouraging municipalities to develop policies through the comprehensive planning process that accommodate the needs of older residents and encourage the creation of age-friendly communities.  MCOA also leads a task force to help municipal leaders look at data related to older residents, and identify actions they can take to address areas of concern.  MCOA Executive Director Jess Maurer met with the Comprehensive Planning Committee in New Gloucester to recently talk about these issues and to highlight many things a municipality can do to help older residents live healthy, engaged lives and to build communities that work for a lifetime. Her presentation was recorded. MMA is offering a link to the video from that meeting for educational purposes.

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.

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.

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.