The Maryland Cannabis Administration (MCA) has created an interest form to connect local governments and cannabis businesses. MCA began issuing conditional licenses for new cannabis grower, processor, and dispensary businesses. These awards were made by region (grower and processor) or county (dispensary). Over the next 18 months, these awardees will work to secure a location and become operational. (You may see the awards by license type and jurisdiction here).

Several county and municipal governments have contacted MCA seeking contact information for businesses that are eligible to site and operate in their jurisdiction. MCA developed this interest form to identify local government partners who are interested in obtaining contact information for cannabis businesses who are eligible to site in their jurisdiction, and determine which counties and municipalities would like to proactively work with these businesses to site and operate within their jurisdiction.

Join Sustainable Maryland Certified for our virtual July Climate Webinar - July 24, 2024 at 1:00 pm

This month we will be discussing the logistics for electric vehicle infrastructure and roll out. We will discuss the latest on EVs, EV charging infrastructure, how to create a fleet transition plan for light, medium, and heavy duty vehicles, and increase readiness across the board. We will be joined by the president of Electric Vehicle Association of Greater Washington DC (EVADC) to discuss the local EV landscape.

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.

The University of Maryland Extension (UME) and The University of Maryland Agriculture Law Education Initiative (ALEI) are seeking survey responses from local government employees to assess local government interest and knowledge regarding agriculture in urban and urbanized areas, and the opportunities and needs of local government to support farming in cities and towns across Maryland, including pathways toward long-term land access for urban farmers. 

The Lunch and Learn webinar with MDE and MML on the Lead and Copper Rule, has been uploaded to MML’s YouTube channel.  As a joint webinar between Maryland Department of the Environment and MML, it focused on the Lead and Copper Rule information and how to get resources out to the Maryland municipalities, providing technical assistance and funding information.

We were also joined by EPIC. The Environmental Policy Innovation Center (EPIC) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to build policies that deliver spectacular improvements in the speed and scale of environmental progress. They deliver data-driven policy analysis, innovation, and technical assistance to eliminate disparities across water systems and ensure more residents across the country have access to safe and accessible drinking water.

Have a vacancy to fill?

Gain access to Local, County, and State government job seekers.

The Clean Water Commerce Act (CWCA) passed by the Maryland General Assembly during the 2017 Session (CH366/367) and reauthorized during the 2021 Session (CH694/695) expanded the uses of the Bay Restoration Fund to include the costs associated with the purchase of cost-effective nitrogen load reductions in support of the State’s efforts to restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay.

Chapters 501 and 502 of the 2024 Maryland General Assembly Session, "Clean Water Commerce Account - Contracts for Purchase of Environmental Outcomes," requires the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) to allow for nonuniform payment schedules when entering into a contract for a project that includes construction, reconstruction, or rehabilitation.  Due to this legislative change MDE is reopening the solicitation that previously closed on January 31, 2024.  
 
The Maryland Department of Environment (MDE) invites you to send proposals by August 30, 2024 for the purchase of nitrogen reductions.
  
Proposals previously submitted on or before January 31, 2024 will still be considered for funding.  Any proposal previously submitted that includes construction, reconstruction, or rehabilitation and submitted with a uniform payment schedule may be resubmitted with a nonuniform payment schedule.  Additionally, MDE is accepting new proposals that were not previously submitted during the application period that ended on January 31, 2024.  
 
Proposals that do not include construction, reconstruction, or rehabilitation should continue to use a uniform payment schedule with equal payments spread out over the length of the payment schedule.  Proposals that do include construction, reconstruction, or rehabilitation can use either a uniform or nonuniform payment schedule.

ezVOLTz, one of MML's Community Partners is excited to announce that ezVOLTz has won a contract to be one of the suppliers for the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) ValuePoint EV Charging Solutions contract.

The selection process was led by the State of Maryland and affords local governments the opportunity to streamline the procurement process. As ezVOLTz traveled the State over the past year and visited many of the municipalities, the need for the creation of Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and the procurement process was one of the top concerns raised by many local governments and this contract vehicle helps address that process. 

Hot off the press! MML's Community Partner, VC3, has just launched their newest guide, "An IT Disaster Recovery Blueprint for Municipal Leaders". The guide catalogs a list of common, as well as seasonal, geography-specific, and rare disasters. Additionally, it outlines the likely impact on a municipality, and arms municipal leaders with a checklist to ensure you are equipped to quickly recover from any disaster. 

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.

The Anne Arundel County Office of Emergency Management (AACo OEM) is hosting the Institute for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Management (I-DIEM) HERricane summer camp! Young ladies ages 14-18 are encouraged to participate in this free week-long program designed to encourage more young women to explore careers in emergency management, public safety, and related fields.

The program will run from July 15-19 at the Anne Arundel Community College in Arnold, with field trips to local Emergency Operations Centers. The deadline to apply is Friday, June 21, 2024, and up to 30 students will be accepted to participate in this year’s program. For any questions email [email protected].

Participants do not have to be Anne Arundel County residents. It is open to all young ladies, aged 14-18, and it is FREE!

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 Maryland Certified Public Manager® Program has a limited number of funded spaces available for managers and executives from state, local, municipal government, and non-profit organizations in Maryland for 2025. Eligible applicants can attend the program at no charge to them or their agency.

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?

The MML 2024 Final Legislative Report is now available! Each year MML staff compiles the legislation that passed through the General Assembly and has impact on municipal governments into this one document. The Final Report includes a short summary of each passed bill plus a link to the General Assembly for more detail.

The application for FY22 State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP) funding is now open.

The application can be accessed on the Maryland Department of Emergency Management (MDEM) website. If you are interested in either the Information Security Officer (ISO) program or submitting for a subgrant award, please find the relevant section and follow the step-by-step instructions.

As we prepare for our summer conference, we also reflect back on the memory of those whom we have lost.  The League will recognize municipal officials who have passed away since June of 2023 at the conference as we have done in the past.  We are calling upon you, our members, to make sure that all are remembered. 

The Maryland Municipal League is proud to be one of the 130 partners to support the Maryland Tough Baltimore Strong coalition. If you know someone impacted by the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, please see the resources available below.

To date, more than 130 partners have joined the alliance, committing more than $15 million and providing other non-monetary support for port workers and to the broader recovery. 

The Maryland Tough Baltimore Strong Fund, established by the Baltimore Community Foundation (BCF) has been the primary resource for alliance members to support port workers, first responders and their families, and impacted Key Bridge communities.   The fund has received support from over 300 contributors. The consistent needs identified by each community include immediate support for basic human needs. This includes the ask for private financial support for workers affected by the port closure, with assistance to cover basic essentials.