The deadline for advance registration for MML's convention is today, Friday, June 5 (postmark). After today, you will have to register on-site in Ocean City. On-site registration fees cost more, and because of the deadline for meal guarantees, MML cannot sell meal tickets in Ocean City. MML's convention will be held June 28 - July 1, 2009 at the Ocean City Convention Center. You can register for MML's convention on-line Online Registration Form or download a registration form at Registration Form and mail it with payment to MML today.

You can view a detailed convention program Program Detail and a convention program summary Program Summary on MML's website. Reviewing the convention schedule prior to getting your registration materials in Ocean City will help you plan which workshops you want to attend and enable you to coordinate your schedule with other officials from your municipality so that all sessions are covered.

When planning your convention schedule be sure to block time to visit the 215+ exhibit booths. A wide array of products and services will be on display in Exhibit Halls A, B and C. You can view the list of exhibitors by visiting this link 2009 Exhibitor List. The exhibit halls will be open on Monday, June 29 from 11:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. and on Tuesday, June 30 from 10:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Municipal department heads and employees who do not normally attend MML's convention are invited to visit the exhibits on Tuesday, June 30 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The cost is $30 per person and includes lunch. There is no pre-registration for Commerce Day - just show up at the Convention Center on June 30 after 10:00 a.m. and pay the $30 fee to receive a special pass to the exhibit areas. Commerce Day Flyer

Please submit any registration changes, corrections or cancellations to Jessica Barnes, jessicab@mdmunicipal.org, as soon as possible. All changes/cancellations should be submitted in writing by Friday, June 12 at 5:00 p.m.

If you want to play in MML's golf tournament you must register by June 10. The golf tournament will be held on Sunday, June 28 beginning at 7:30 a.m. at Eagle's Landing Golf Course in Ocean City. Please visit MML's website for more information about the tournament Golf Information.

The parade of city and town flags will again be an exciting part of the opening general session of MML's convention on Monday, June 29. The ceremony will begin the opening general session. Each participating municipality must designate an elected or appointed official (no children please) as standard-bearer to present their municipal colors. Parade participants are to wear white or khaki slacks/skirts, white or blue shirt, and navy blue jacket. Police uniforms are also acceptable. The march-on will be conducted in alphabetical order by municipality. After the parade, city and town flags will be displayed in the workshop corridor throughout the convention. Please bring a flag base to the convention and be sure to mark your base with the name of your municipality.

A mandatory check-in and rehearsal for flag parade participants will be held at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, June 29. If you sign up for the flag parade and do not check-in during the rehearsal at 8:30 a.m., you will be eliminated from the flag parade. The check-in is where participants are verified and placed in the proper order to ensure municipal flag bearers are announced correctly during the actual flag parade.

If you haven't signed up for the parade of flags yet, please contact Candace Donoho at the MML office and give her the flag bearer's name, title and municipality, or use the following link to send the information to MML at Parade of Flags Registration.

The following municipalities have confirmed participation in the 2009 flag parade: Barclay, Barnesville, Bel Air, Bowie, Brunswick, Burkittsville, Cambridge, Capitol Heights, Cecilton, Centreville, Charlestown, Chesapeake Beach, Chestertown, Cheverly, Chevy Chase Section 5, Colmar Manor, Cottage City, Cumberland, Delmar, District Heights, Eagle Harbor, Edmonston, Elkton, Federalsburg, Forest Heights, Frederick, Galena, Greenbelt, Hagerstown, Hancock, Havre de Grace, Hurlock, Hyattsville, Indian Head, La Plata, Landover Hills, Laurel, Leonardtown, Morningside, Mount Airy, Mount Rainier, New Carrollton, New Market, North Brentwood, Oakland, Ocean City, Perryville, Pocomoke City, Poolesville, Princess Anne, Rosemont, Seat Pleasant, Somerset, Sykesville, Union Bridge, Westminster

On May 4, 2009, the latest regulatory changes to the Maryland Stormwater Management Act of 2007 became effective. This means that all local governments with their own stormwater management programs must submit proposed revisions to their stormwater management ordinances to the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) by November 11, 2009. Each municipality and county with a stormwater management program must adopt a revised ordinance no later than May 4, 2010.

For a copy of the complete regulations, visit MDE's Stormwater Management Act site at: www.mde.maryland.gov/Programs/WaterPrograms/SedimentandStormwater/swm2007.asp. For information on MDE technical assistance, contact the Stormwater Management Program at 410/537-3543.

Nominations materials for the MML 2009-2010 Board of Directors were mailed to chief municipal elected officials and to MML chapter presidents and secretaries early in March. The following nominations for MML's 2009-2010 Board of Directors have been received at the League office:

President
Craig A. Moe - Mayor, Laurel

First Vice President
Gary A. Comegys - Council Vice President, Salisbury

District 1 Vice President
Carl L. Anderton - Commissioner, Delmar

District 2 Vice President
Robert C. Willey - Mayor, Easton

District 3 Vice President
Sheila Dixon - Mayor, Baltimore

District 4 Vice President
Gregory Dotson - Councilman, North Beach

District 5 Vice President
Jeffrey Z. Slavin - Mayor, Somerset

District 6 Vice President
James E. Hoover - Mayor, Emmitsburg

District 7 Vice President
Susan M. Keller - Commissioner, Frostburg

District 8 Vice President
Howard W. Long - Assistant Mayor, Boonsboro

District 9 Vice President
Phyllis W. Robinson - Commissioner, Cottage City

District 10 Vice President
James L. Eberhardt - Mayor, Perryville

District 11 Vice President
Christopher M. Nevin - Councilman, Hampstead

Members at Large
Michael E. Bennett - Mayor, Aberdeen
Michael S. Bojokles - Mayor, North Beach
Michael W. Brady - Commissioner, St. Michaels
Eric B. Braley - Commissioner, North East
John J. Bunnell - Mayor, Cecilton
Judith M. Cox - Mayor, Rising Sun
Fred H. Cullum - Council President, Havre de Grace
Judith F. "J" Davis - Mayor, Greenbelt
James B. Kraft - Councilman, Baltimore
Paul E. "Eddie" Kuhlman - Commission President, Poolesville
Mabel Mumford-Pautz - Councilmember, Chestertown
Frederick Smalls - Councilman, Laurel

Each year, MML produces a document that lists legislation passed and signed into law during the recently concluded General Assembly legislative session impacting municipal government. The document lists not only bills tracked by MML during the legislative session, but all bills passed and signed into law with municipal impact. The 2009 Legislative Final Report is available at no charge by accessing Final Report on MML's website www.mdmunicipal.org. Questions about the content of the document may be directed to MML staff members Jim Peck or Tom Reynolds.

Now that the petition drive has failed to bring to referendum newly passed legislation allowing speed cameras in Maryland, local governments can look forward to actual implementation of the legislation that will take effect on October 1, 2009. To facilitate the expansion of the program across the State, the Maryland State Highway Administration in conjunction with the Montgomery County Police Department has scheduled a full-day symposium to provide an overview of effective use of the technology as a law enforcement "force multiplier".

The symposium is scheduled for Wednesday, June 24 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Universities at Shady Grove, 9630 Gudelsky Drive, Rockville, MD. The symposium is open only to law enforcement and government agency representatives and agency ID will be required. There is no charge for registration but seating is limited and reservations are required by June 12, 2009 to be sent to Alice Afifi at alice.afifi@montgomerycountymd.gov or to Lt. Ronald Smith at 301/840-2881. Attendees may also post questions or request specific information on automated speed camera enforcement by accessing www.mdspeedcamera.blogspot.com.

Legislative requests for the 2010 legislative session may now be submitted to MML for consideration by MML's 2009-2010 Legislative Committee. According to MML Legislative Committee guidelines, member municipalities, chapters, and departments may submit up to three legislative requests for consideration as MML priority initiatives. The deadline for submission is June 26, 2009. Legislative Action Request (LAR) forms must be completed, approved by the jurisdiction's governing body, and then returned to MML via fax 410/268-7004 or mailed to MML's office. LAR forms may be found on the MML website at LAR Form. If you have any questions, please contact Candace Donoho or Jim Peck at MML headquarters.

Over the next two weeks, the Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology and members of Maryland's forestry and environmental communities will host a series of five listening sessions focusing on issues facing Maryland's forests. The listening sessions will provide an opportunity for landowners, communities, forestry professionals and the forest industry to address concerns and explore possible solutions.

A schedule of the listening sessions is included below. For more information, visit the Center's website: www.agroecol.umd.edu or call 410/827-8056, ext. 128.

June 8, Monday
Harford Community College (Room E132)
401 Thomas Run Road, Bel Air, MD 21015

June 10, Wednesday
Ramada Inn and Conference Center (soon to be Holiday Inn)
300 South Salisbury Blvd., Salisbury, MD 21801

June 15, Monday
College of Southern Maryland (Bldg. B1, Room 113)
8730 Mitchell Road LaPlata, MD 20646

June 16, Tuesday
Urbana Regional Library (Urbana Community Room))
9020 Amelung Street Frederick, MD 21740

June 17, Wednesday
Frostburg State University (Compton 226)
101 Braddock Road, Frostburg, MD 21532

The National League of Cities invites Maryland municipal leaders to attend the 2009 National Summit on Your City's Families. This biennial NLC event, which will be held October 11-13 in Boston, is the largest national gathering of city officials focused on issues affecting children and families. The Summit's high quality training sessions, workshops and site visits will feature cutting-edge innovations and strategies for helping families cope with the ongoing fiscal crisis. For registration and other information, visit NLC's website at www.nlc.org/iyef/yefsummit.aspx.

2009 marks the Maryland Municipal League's fifth year of co-sponsoring the U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance. A national procurement cooperative serving state and local government, U.S. Communities provides contracts for office supplies, furniture, computers and peripherals, electrical and general supplies. Office Depot, Auto Zone, and Hagemeyer NA are just a handful of the contracts currently available offering products ranging from office furniture to playground equipment to information technology.

Under this program a large local government bids each contract on behalf of all local and state governments in the nation. The pricing discounts, delivery and service conditions, and the contract terms are then available to any local government with an interest in participating. Since all contracts are discretionary, local governments determine how much they want to use the program. The program has no membership fees or charges to the city/town.

For more information on the U.S. Communities program, visit the Maryland Municipal League website and click on the U.S. Communities banner, or go directly to the U.S. Communities website at www.uscommunities.org.