Last week, a new report titled "The Economic Significance of Maryland's Municipalities," was unveiled in partnership with Sage Policy Group, a Baltimore-based economic and policy consultancy. The report details how the operation of municipal governments positively impacts the local and State-wide economy to the tune of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars of economic output. The results in this report will be invaluable to solidify the message that Maryland’s municipalities are where people want to work, live, and play.

A few highlights include that Maryland municipal governments:

The Department of Budget and Management's Municipal Technical Assistance Program (MTAP) will be hosting a webinar on Water Infrastructure Funding in ARPA and IIJA on December 7, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. in partnership with the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) and the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Region 3 WaterTA Program at the University of Maryland (UMD) Environmental Finance Center.

The Department of Budget and Management's Municipal Technical Assistance Program (MTAP) will be hosting a webinar on Water Infrastructure Funding in ARPA and IIJA on December 7, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. in partnership with the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) and the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Region 3 WaterTA Program at the University of Maryland (UMD) Environmental Finance Center. This webinar will include presentations from representatives from MDE and the EPA WaterTA Program at UMD on applying for water, sewer, and stormwater infrastructure funding and relevant technical assistance.

The Maryland Municipal League wants to know how your municipality is using State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) received through the American Rescue Plan Act.  This exercise will be immensely helpful as the League begins communications with State legislators interested in knowing how Maryland’s cities and towns are using these funds.  In short, the more effectively we use SLFRF funds to lift our communities, the more receptive State legislators will be to assisting municipalities during the upcoming General Assembly session.   

Please share how your municipality is using SLFRF funds on the MDCommunities Discussion page.  Doing so will also help other cities and towns still determining best uses in light of the December 2024 deadline for obligating SLFRF funding. 

You are a key stakeholder in the success of Maryland's municipalities and local governments. In the past, you have supported our programming and events and so we would like to invite you to join us for our inaugural, State of the Municipality.
 
There is limited seating left for this exclusive event.
 
Keynote Speaker Dr. Anirban Basu will share the release of the 2023 commissioned study, The Economic Significance of Maryland's Municipalities.
 
The study:
•    Assesses the quantifiable economic contributions of municipal governments on the state’s economy -and-
•    Discusses the ways in which Maryland’s cities and towns improve quality of life

Join us and our municipal members and reinforce your knowledge on the tangible factors that our 160 local government members bring to the table to make our state a great place to live, work, play and do business.
 
December 14, 2024
10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
 
Governor Calvert House
58 State Circle, Annapolis, MD 21401
 
Event speakers:
 
MML President, Galena Mayor John Carroll
MML CEO, Theresa Kuhns

Maryland Municipal League (MML) Partners with VC3, a National Cybersecurity Firm, to Deliver Services to Local Government in Maryland

(November 15, 2023) Annapolis, Md. – The Maryland Municipal League (MML), which represents 160 local governments in Maryland, has partnered with VC3 to deliver cybersecurity and technology services to Maryland’s local governments. VC3’s municipal-focused cybersecurity and technology services are consistent with MML's mission to provide leadership and guidance for the towns and cities in the state of Maryland, as well as to help local governments stay innovative and efficient in serving their residents.

Join the largest gathering of city leaders at Smart Cities Connect Conference & Expo on Nov 28-30, in D.C. Where you can network with industry leaders, innovators, federal government, nonprofits, and municipalities. Cities attend for FREE! 

A photo album of Fall Conference 2023 photos is now available.

Our photographer, Steve Ridzon, has provided direct access to the photos in the album. Please do not delete anything in the album. You can scroll through the various selection of photos and download them as you please. We ask that you provide photo credit to Steve Ridzon if you use them on a public platform or on any social media platform.

Municipal Government Works (MGW) month has arrived. Each November, Maryland's towns and cities make an effort to bring more awareness and generate further interest in the local government that serves its citizens and communities. The goal of celebrating MGW is to publicly educate what municipalities bring to Marylander's quality of life through their services and programs.

The beauty of celebrating MGW month is that you can celebrate any way you please.

Please join the Maryland Department of Planning and Maryland Department of the Environment on Wednesday, November 15, 2023, at their third statewide Brownfields Conference for local governments, consultants, attorneys, developers, and non-governmental/community organizations to learn and share information about brownfields.

​This conference is a special opportunity to explore strategies together for Landing a Brownfield, such as ways to take ownership of brownfields and a land bank discussion. The entire conference will be held at a former brownfield and an adaptive reuse success story - the Montgomery Park Business Center. (Here is a 5-minute video on the history of the building)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced $7.5 billion in available Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) funding. This innovative low-interest loan program helps communities invest in drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure while saving millions of dollars and creating good-paying local jobs. To date, EPA’s WIFIA program has announced $19 billion to help finance 109 projects across the country. These projects are creating over 60,000 jobs. Today’s announcement furthers the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to ensuring all people and all communities have access to clean and safe water.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced two large funding opportunities for habitat restoration and coastal resilience projects with no matching requirements. 

Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience Grants
$240 million in funding is available for transformational habitat restoration and coastal resilience projects under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act.
Closing Date: November 17, 2023
Award Period: Approximately three years
Funding award amount range: $1 million to $25 million over the award period
More Information about Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience Grants and informational webinars
View grant opportunity on grants.gov

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced a $100m Notice of Funding Opportunity, utilizing a 10% set-aside from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) formula program, for the Electric Vehicle Charger Reliability and Accessibility Accelerator. The funding can be utilized to repair and replace existing, but non-operational, EV charging infrastructure. Non-functional or broken EV charger sites will be limited to those listed in the Alternative Fuels Station Locator and are at publicly accessible locations. Before releasing the NOFO, FHWA identified 6,200 chargers that met its standards of being temporarily unavailable and eligible for this program. Approximately 130 charging sites in Maryland meet this definition as of today (see afdc.energy.gov).

Local governments are directly eligible to apply. A single applicant may receive multiple awards from this program and USDOT expects to fund the vast majority of eligible projects submitted. FHWA strongly encourages applicants to streamline submissions and include as many eligible locations in a single application as possible.

Nearly every Maryland municipality received State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) in 2021. Roughly a year from now every municipal recipient will need to have obligated those funds or risk having to return that funding to the U.S. Treasury.

A recent report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) shows that nearly 50% of local governments had not obligated SLFRF funds as of March 31, 2023. The Maryland Municipal League cannot stress enough the urgency to obligate and spend these funds, especially with the need to pass FY2025 budgets by June 30, 2024. 

The 2024 theme, 'Strengthening Democracy through Local Action and Innovation,' aims to spotlight communities bolstering democratic processes, through innovations such as making it easier to vote, engage in community affairs, and participate in leadership roles.

Mark your calendar! The deadline for optional letters of intent to apply is December 14, 2023, and final applications must be submitted by February 13, 2024. In March 2024, we'll announce the top 20 finalists who will have the opportunity to convene in Denver, CO from June 7-9, 2024, to showcase their community's achievements at the All-America City Award event. Don't miss your chance to shine on this national stage!

For additional information, watch this informational webinar and download the application.

Smart Cities Connect Conference and Expo offers the most comprehensive conference, exposition and accelerator of smart city innovation in North America. We deliver premium networking and educational opportunities with a keen focus on city leaders and their priorities. 

Join the largest gathering of city leaders at Smart Cities Connect Conference & Expo on Nov 28-30, in D.C. Where you can network with industry leaders, innovators, federal government, military, nonprofits, and municipalities. Cities attend for FREE! For non-city leaders use "23MML25" for 25% off!

The State of Maryland Department of Budget and Management’s Municipal Technical Assistance Program (MTAP) has unveiled a new federal fund mapping service. Maryland municipalities can submit infrastructure projects or priorities to the fund mapping service through the Project Intake Form and receive tailored information on relevant Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) programs. If your municipality has additional questions, or would like to learn more, please contact the MTAP team at [email protected].

If you attended the Maryland Municipal League Excellence in Leadership Fall Conference earlier this month and forgot to download PowerPoints and other content, those resources remain available to all conference participants on the MML member app. 

In addition, for a limited time, all MML members may access the following workshop presentations at MDCommUnity, the League's members-only platform:

The following bills with municipal impact went into effect on October 1, 2023. Please contact any member of the MML Advocacy team with any questions. 

SB 310 / HB 378 - Natural Resources - Black Bear Damage Prevention and Reimbursement Fund – Uses 

•     A possible new standard for employment liability under Title VII;
•     Whether a public official’s social media account can constitute state action for the purposes of the First Amendment;
•     Whether the Supreme Court should overrule Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council, which relates to deference that courts should provide administrative agencies; and
•     Whether firearm regulations prohibiting individuals subject to domestic violence restraining orders violate the Second Amendment

Full details

Governor Wes Moore Announces Support of MML’s Tourism Zone Priority at MML Fall Conference

(October 17, 2023) Annapolis, Md. – Governor Wes Moore joined the Maryland Municipal League (MML) Tuesday morning in College Park as the keynote speaker for the 2023 Excellence in Leadership Fall Conference with historic record-breaking attendance. During his remarks, Moore announced his enthusiastic support for MML’s legislative priority to authorize the creation of local tourism zones.