The Maryland Department of Budget and Management’s Municipal Technical Assistance Program (MTAP) has begun publishing Grant Summary Reports on open Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) grant programs potentially applicable to Maryland municipalities with open Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs). Grant Summary Reports have been published on Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants (currently open for applications), the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program (currently open for applications), and the Safe Streets and Roads for All Program (now closed for applications).

Getting a broad cross section of residents engaged on important issues in our communities is as challenging as its ever been.  The Academy for Excellence in Local Governance graduate class at this year's MML Excellence in Leadership Fall Conference will provide participants with insights and skill building to help you better tackle these community engagement challenges.  

Seats are going fast, so be sure to select the Community Engagement Academy graduate class when you register for the conference.  And remember, graduate classes are open to Academy for Excellence in Local Governance graduates only and pre-registration is required.

With the second half of the 2024 calendar year upon us, MML encourages recipients of ARPA State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) to be mindful of the December 31, 2024 fund obligation deadline. Here are some resources from the U.S. Treasury to help your municipality meet the obligation requirement:

Maryland’s communities are faced with a future of higher intensity storms, increased populations and development, changing sea levels and flooding, and a growing demand for healthy places for tourism and recreation. These trends make the already challenging task of restoring the Chesapeake Bay, safeguarding people and infrastructure and managing natural resources even more complex.

To assist Maryland’s communities, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is providing a single point of entry through the Grants Gateway for organizations seeking technical and financial assistance to restore local waterways, increase their resilience to climate impacts, strengthen local economies and develop the next generation of environmental stewards.

For 15 years the Maryland Municipal League has partnered with Technology Net to provide an online compensation info-sharing/survey system for Maryland cities and towns. In the past year, Technology Net has made various system upgrades and now members can engage directly with TechNet in accessing the system. Any municipalities that have been recent participants in the compensation survey will be contacted directly by TechNet to inquire about your continued interest in utilizing the system. 

If your municipality has not been a recent comp survey participant but is interested in learning more about the online system, its functionality, and cost, you may contact TechNet directly at [email protected].

The State of Maryland’s Department of Budget and Management's Municipal Technical Assistance Program (MTAP) has exciting updates to make its Fund Mapping Service more readily accessible. The goal of the service is to help Maryland municipalities match their priority projects with competitive federal funding opportunities available through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).  To get started with the Fund Mapping Service, all you have to do is submit a Fund Mapping Request Form.

On behalf of the Department of Budget and Management, the MTAP program will be hosting a webinar on Strategies for Capacity Building and Partnership Development for Federal Funding Success on Thursday, June 20, 2024 from 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. EST.

This webinar will provide comprehensive guidance on internal capacity building and partnership development for local governments seeking to optimize grant opportunities.

Do you have a newly elected town council trying to get off on the right foot? Would you benefit from having a professional facilitator assist with teambuilding, goal setting, or an introduction to municipal roles and responsibilities based on your municipal charter?

Sustainable Maryland, in partnership with Pepco, will offer Sustainable Communities Grant awards to eligible organizations. This program will provide $75,000 support to fund environmental stewardship projects and $50,000 for community resilience projects across the Pepco service area in Montgomery County, Prince George's County, and Washington, DC. Application deadline: July 12.

Environmental Stewardship Grants (awards up to $10,000 – up to 8 awards expected)

The EPA Mid-Atlantic Summit is a one-day virtual event geared towards addressing environmental health topics relevant to the Mid-Atlantic Region. The summit is held annually and features an opening plenary with state environmental secretaries and concurrent sessions focused on various topics, including equity, environmental justice, sustainability, grant opportunities, and more. This year's Summit will be held on Thursday, May 16, 2024, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

The Summit is free and open to the public.  Additional information, including how to registration is available here. The Summit will convene representatives from communities; non-profit organizations; Tribes; professional associations and advocacy groups; businesses; academia; and federal, state, and local government in the Mid-Atlantic Region (Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia).

The Chesapeake Bay Program is conducting a survey of local elected and appointed officials involved in policy making. Results will be used to improve and enhance training and information for local leaders. Please take 10 minutes to share your opinion. The survey is being conducted by an independent contractor (Eastern Research Group, Inc. (ERG)). Your feedback is confidential. If you have any questions, please contact the survey helpdesk at [email protected].

Survey Here

The State's Municipal Technical Assistance Program (MTAP) will be hosting a webinar on behalf of the Maryland Department of Budget and Management on ARPA Closeout & Obligation Best Practices. The webinar will take place on Thursday, April 18, 2024 from 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

This webinar will focus on the obligation process for ARPA funding, including how to prepare for the 2024 obligation deadline and utilize new guidance on obligations.  The discussion will also include best practices for managing the closeout of federal program funding.

The American Rescue Plan Act State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF) reporting deadline is April 30, 2024. All NEUs who have received ARPA funding are required to submit this annual report, which covers expenditures incurred between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024. For NEUs who report quarterly, the report will cover expenditures during the period of January 1, 2024, through March 31, 2024. Keep in mind that the Municipal Technical Assistance Program (MTAP) continues to support Maryland municipalities to inform them of their reporting responsibilities throughout the month, including through individual phone calls beginning this week. 

This Friday, March 22, is World Water Day.  Celebrate by reading up on how you can protect the streams and waterways that run through your community.

Protect Local Waterways is a new award-winning web resource on how local leaders can help support the economy, public health, education, and infrastructure while protecting their communities' environmental assets. Created by local officials for local officials, this website includes an extensive learning library spanning 11 environmental topics. From understanding the benefits of trees to building community buy-in on environmental behaviors, this learning library is the perfect place to start. Take action today to secure fishable, swimmable, and drinkable water for your municipality. Visit our website.  

The Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS) was established in 2012 to give students “real life” experience and provide Maryland communities access to the University of Maryland’s expertise in fields ranging from health care, planning, real estate finance, environmentalism, information technology, and more.

Students address issues like municipal service provision and management, economic development, environmental shifts, park and streetscape design, transportation operations, and more in their coursework. Projects have included the cost-effectiveness of LED streetlights and implementation plan, an examination of micro-mobility and safe routes to school, the feasibility of expanding a local airport, and other real, practical projects with an emphasis on scheduling, best practices, implementation, and monitoring.

The Maryland Municipal League is seeking nominations for the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award.

MML’s Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes a city/town elected or staff official with a strong record of service to MML and the cities and towns of Maryland. Criteria considered includes:

Check out the latest information on federal transportation grants, including municipal eligibility and application deadlines, using the U.S. Department of Transportation's Competitive Grant Funding Matrix. 

Grant programs of specific interest to MML members may include:

Attention Academy for Excellence in Local Governance graduates: This spring and summer the Academy will be offering not one, but two, Academy graduate classes.

The first takes place on Friday, May 17 and will provide an overview on How to Assess your Local Government’s Fiscal Risks. Led by University of Maryland School of Public Policy Assistant Professor Thomas Luke Spreen, the class will introduce participants to a framework for evaluating a local government's resiliency through the use of financial metrics.  Participants will also learn how to identify and institute policy changes that build fiscal resiliency, along with strategies to navigate unexpected financial challenges. To register for this class, contact Academy Registrar Elizabeth Hinson at [email protected].