At the Board of Directors Meeting in Annapolis the Board took the following actions:

• Approved a contribution of $1,000 to the Maryland Municipal Clerks Association towards the cost of hosting their annual conference.
• Approved the amendments to the bylaws of Maryland Municipal Attorneys Association.
• Approved the request from the Town of Washington Grove that the League file an amicus curiae brief regarding a land use authority case pending before the Court of Appeals.

MML's fall conference will be held October 23-25 at the Hyatt Hotel in Cambridge. The Hyatt Hotel is totally sold out for the night of Thursday, October 23, but has a few rooms available for Wednesday, October 22 and Friday, October 24. The deadline for making hotel reservations at the Hyatt Chesapeake Bay in conjunction with MML's fall conference is Tuesday, September 23 at 5:00 p.m. After this date, reservations will be accepted based on availability and MML's discounted rates may not apply. MML made arrangements for an additional bloc of rooms at the nearby Holiday Inn Express, located at 2715 Ocean Gateway, Cambridge. Please specify that you are with the Maryland Municipal League when making reservations at the Holiday Inn Express (410/221-9900) so that you receive the discounted rate of $80/night, plus tax (double room). If you want to pay for your room at the Holiday Inn Express with a municipal or personal check, you must make arrangements with the hotel in advance.

Thirteen cities and towns sign resolutions to participate in the Maryland Municipal League Geocache Trail -

Information about participating in the Maryland Municipal League Geocache Trail was sent to the attention of the Mayor and Council of all municipalities the last week of August. The following cities and towns have adopted a resolution to become a stop on the Maryland Municipal League Geocache Trail: Centreville, Charlestown, Cottage City, Denton, Greenbelt, Leonardtown, Luke, Middletown, Millington, Mountain Lake Park, Somerset, Sykesville, and Thurmont.

Discovering a geocache, is very much like going on a treasure hunt using a hand-held GPS (Global Positioning System) to plot map coordinates to locate the treasure or "cache."

The purpose of the Maryland Municipal League Geocache Trail is to promote awareness of and visits to Maryland's cities and towns. It taps into the rapidly growing high-tech tourist trade that is not limited to any particular age group. Anyone with a hand-held GPS can participate in Geocache tourism. They just access the official geocache website www.geocaching.com, go to the MML account and download or manually enter the map coordinates for each cache on the Maryland Municipal League Geo Trail; then use their GPS to find the caches.

To be listed as a participant for the January 2009 debut of the Maryland Municipal League Geocache Trail, your city or town must adopt the Geocache Participant Resolution (included with the mailing) and send a copy to MML by October 30, 2008. After this date, you will have to wait until July 1, 2009 to be added to the Trail. If you have questions, please contact Linda Burrell at MML.

Beginning this year, Municipal Government Works (MGW) Month will take place in November. This is a great time to visit fourth grade classrooms to talk about municipal government, the role of a mayor and the upcoming 2009 "If I Were Mayor, I Would…" Essay Contest.

Teachers should be very receptive to your visit in November, particularly this year, as their focus will no doubt be on government and the elections taking place. By visiting schools in November, your city or town will also satisfy two participation requirements for becoming a 2009 Banner City or Town.

For a complete list of ideas for celebrating Municipal Government Works Month, visit MML's website link www.mdmunicipal.org to access the MGW 2008 Handbook. Please let Linda Burrell at MML know how your city or town will participate in MGW Month by phone at 410/268-5514 or by e-mail at lindab@mdmunicipal.org.

Mark your calendar now…the next municipal planners meeting is scheduled for Friday, October 3 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at MML headquarters, 1212 West Street, Annapolis.

This will be a joint MML/MACo planners meeting. The first 90 minutes will be spent discussing the progress of the Task Force on the Future for Growth and Development in Maryland and the various subcommittee reports generated by individuals working on the Task Force. After a short break, we will welcome Maryland Planning Secretary Rich Hall and Department of Planning Deputy Secretary Matt Power to share some of our observations with regard to the activities of the task force. Please mark your calendar and plan to attend! Light refreshments will be served.

The Maryland Municipal League has received revised highway user revenue (HUR) estimates from Maryland Department of Transportation. You will find those numbers here: HUREstimatesFY2009ANDFY2010 These new estimates reflect an overall decrease of 4.9 percent, though you will find the projections to be a mixed bag with some towns experiencing larger declines than others (and a handful even showing a slight increase, presumably due to annexation or other development). Remember that these numbers are based on automobile registrations and road mileage within your borders. Consequently, there are variations. The overall decrease is due to a downturn in the number of new registrations and fuel purchases throughout the state, the proceeds of which fund the state's transportation trust fund. If you have any questions feel free to contact Tom Reynolds at 800/492-7121 or via e-mail at tomr@mdmunicipal.org.

Reacting to projected reductions in state revenues due to a slowing economy and high gasoline prices, the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) announced last week that state transportation plans would be cut back or slowed over the coming years. MML was alerted by MDOT Secretary John Porcari to the fact that some municipal transportation projects would likely see cuts, although most did not realize significant cuts, but were spread out over a longer period of time. Most of the large transportation cuts were related to Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) and transit projects. A complete listing of MDOT transportation project reductions and cuts can be found via the following link www.mdmunicipal.org/documents/Impacts.pdf. If you have additional questions, please contact the MML office.

The Division of Neighborhood Revitalization of Maryland's Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) announced that the Community Legacy grant program is accepting applications that will be due on October 29, 2008. Fiscal Year 2009 has $7 million to award with $500,000 of that amount designated for operating funds. Funding, in the form of grants and loans, is available for projects located in priority funding areas and is meant to complement and supplement other State funding programs. As part of a competitive application process, communities are required to have and/or develop a comprehensive revitalization plan that specifically identifies projects meant to revitalize the area.

To be eligible to apply, you must be a local government or a community development organization that is working in a designated Community Legacy area or wants to have the area designated. Please refer to DHCD's website www.neighborhoodrevitalization.org for more details. Training dates will be announced soon.

The Task Force on the Future for Growth and Development, in partnership with the Maryland Department of Planning, has scheduled six "Listening Sessions" in September. This is an opportunity for local government officials and interested citizens to share thoughts about growth in Maryland, and specifically about development in and around their communities. Ideas shared at these sessions will help shape the Maryland State Development Plan. Dates and locations are as follows:

• Tuesday, September 16, 2008, 6:30 p.m.
  Wicomico High School Auditorium, Salisbury
• Wednesday, September 17, 2008, 6:30 p.m.
  Queen Anne's County High School, Centerville
• Thursday, September 18, 2008, 6:30 p.m.
  James Blake High School, Silver Spring
• Tuesday, September 23, 2008, 6:30 p.m.
  Southern Maryland Electrical Cooperative, Hughesville
• Wednesday, September 24, 2008, 6:30 p.m.
  Woodlawn High School, Gwynn Oak
• Thursday, September 25, 2008, 6:30 p.m.
  Bridge of Life Church, Hagerstown

Details and updates can be found at www.mdp.state.md.us/listeningsessions.htm.

Do you need money to help your city or town "go green" to save money on energy bills? Well, now you can proceed with help from the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA). The Jane E. Lawton Loan Program was created to provide low-interest loans to local governments, non-profits, and businesses with projects that increase the energy efficiency of a building or use renewable energy. It is named for the late Delegate Lawton to honor her commitment to improving the environment and energy efficiency in the State of Maryland.

MEA is soliciting expressions of interest in this program from local governments and school systems in an effort to ensure a steady flow of projects. The maximum loan amount is $600,000, and terms are less than 10 years. Design and feasibility study costs can be included in the loan. Application and closing fees are related to project size, not to exceed $1,000 total. Interest rates for local governments are less than 3%.

If you think this could benefit your city or town, please complete a non-binding "Expression of Interest" form which can be found online at www.energy.state.md.us. If you have questions about whether a particular project would qualify, please contact David Cronin at MEA with questions at 410/260-7543 or by e-mail at dcronin@energy.state.md.us.

Does your municipality have a project idea that involves exploring and celebrating your community's social or economic history? PNC Foundation, in partnership with the Maryland Humanities Council, has announced the availability of Legacy Grants to help fund projects that honor and preserve the history of local communities in Maryland. Information on this grant opportunity is available at: Grant Information. Letters of inquiry are due by October 15, 2008. Grant applications must be submitted by November 15, 2008.

City and town governments can receive a free subscription to the on-line version of CitiesGoGreen, the sustainability magazine for local governments. This publication offers ideas, tools, interviews and resources to help your municipality become more sustainable. The digital edition of CitiesGoGreen is free to anyone with a government e-mail address. For more information or to subscribe, contact Elizabeth Johnson, Circulation Coordinator, at Elizabeth@CitiesGoGreen.com or 866/686-8101.