First Call for the Hall – Are You a MML Hall of Famer?

The Maryland Municipal League’s Hall of Fame honors current or former municipal officials (living or deceased) that have served 20 years or more as a municipal elected official. Submissions are now open for those eligible elected officials to join the 286 municipal Hall of Famers.

MMLCon26 registration launches in less than a week. You don't want to miss out on the exciting things we have in store for our 90th Anniversary celebration.

Last week, MML staff testified on the third bill in Governor Moore's 2026 housing package, the Maryland Transit and Housing Opportunities Act. As presented, this bill would automatically designate transit-oriented development (TOD) areas served by frequent rail service as Enterprise Zones, and delay the collection of development impact fees and excise taxes until after construction is complete. It also restricts the authority of local jurisdictions to impose minimum parking requirements, and mandates allowance for mixed-use development within specified distances of qualifying rail stations. 

The Maryland Municipal League's position is Favorable with Amendments. We are seeking amendments to address the automatic Enterprise Zone designation, and the impact fee/excise tax payment delay. Conversations with the Administration and General Assembly Committees are ongoing. Contact Angelica Bailey Thupari ([email protected]) with questions.  

 

 

Is your city or town anticipating a sizable turnover in elected officials this spring? Would they benefit from engaging in a facilitated team-building dialogue, discussion of roles and responsibilities, as well as a goal-setting exercise to get everyone on the same page?  The Maryland Municipal League has helped more than a dozen member municipalities get their newly elected officials’ terms off to a productive and collaborative start. Standard retreats are five hours long with a facilitation fee of $2,500 for members with populations of 10,000 or less and $4,000 for those with more than 10,000 residents. For more information, contact MML Director of Leadership Development and retreat facilitator Tom Reynolds at [email protected].

Preparing for MMLCon26 just got easier. Get an early look at the sessions we’re planning as part of our conference experience.

The preliminary schedule offers a preview of what’s ahead. Topics, speakers, and times are subject to change. To view the preliminary schedule, visit our website.

The Maryland Department of Information Technology has issued a new Cybersecurity and Privacy Policy Suite establishing unified security standards for all executive branch agencies to strengthen protection of state systems, data, and services against increasingly sophisticated threats.

Grant Writing Training in Annapolis, MD - March 26-27, 2026

The Governor's Office of Crime Prevention and Policy and Grant Writing USA will present a two-day grant writing workshop in Annapolis on March 26-27, 2026. This training is for grant seekers from all disciplines. Attend this class to learn how to write winning government grant proposals and find the available grant funding.

Last week MML testified in opposition to SB 3 / HB 188, a bill that alters certain aspects of the State's unemployment insurance system. The most impactful provision for municipal governments is the increase in weekly benefit amount to successful claimants. Municipal governments are typically "reimbursing employers" meaning that they reimburse the unemployment insurance trust fund when a former employee makes a successful claim. This means that municipal government expenditures are tied to the amount a claimant receives, dollar-for-dollar. This is different than private sector employers, which regularly pay into the Fund based on the taxable wage base.

While the League recognizes that the unemployment insurance weekly benefit amount has not been updated in many years, the provisions of the bill would raise the cost to municipal governments to a level that would pose a significant burden.

Last week, the Maryland Municipal League (MML) testified before the House Appropriations Committee in strong support of HB 559. This bill represents a critical turning point in our years-long advocacy to restore and protect Highway User Revenues (HUR) for Maryland’s cities and towns.

For years, municipal governments have operated under temporary "funding bridges" that increased our share of gas tax and vehicle fee revenues. However, under current law, those increases are set decrease after Fiscal Year 2027, from the 3.0% allocation of Highway User Revenues to 2.4%.

This week, MML testified on SB 36 and its cross-file HB 239, legislation that would limit local zoning authority for certain residential housing types. The bill would prohibit municipalities from applying specific zoning standards, such as setbacks, lot coverage, or design requirements, to “starter” and “silver” homes, and would enable property owners on improved lots to subdivide into smaller lots under certain conditions.

MML’s testimony acknowledged the importance of expanding housing supply but raised concerns about state limits on local zoning and planning authority, especially near infrastructure and services. We emphasized that local governments need tools to balance growth with community character, public safety, and service capacity.

MML testified on SB 325 and cross-file HB 548, which would create a framework for permitting and vested rights protections. Once a substantially complete development application is submitted, the project would become subject only to the laws in effect at that time, and vesting rights would be established for a defined period.

In testimony, MML supported measures that reduce regulatory uncertainty for developers, but emphasized that vested rights and permitting timelines must preserve local oversight and stay aligned with municipal comprehensive plans.

Last week, the Maryland Municipal League (MML) testified before the House Ways and Means Committee on HB 594. While MML supports the bill - which seeks to return a portion of sales tax revenue to the City of Baltimore - we officially testified as Support with Amendment.

Currently, HB 594 would require the Comptroller to pay the City of Baltimore one-third of the sales and use tax revenues collected within its borders. In the hearing, MML staff highlighted how municipalities are the economic hubs of the state, where 34% of all sales tax revenue is generated despite only accounting for 5% of the state’s land mass.

For nearly 60 years, Maryland’s municipal revenue structure has remained largely unchanged, forcing our cities and towns to rely on property taxes for approximately 50% of their general fund budgets. This over-dependence is no longer sustainable.

We have a critical opportunity to change this. HB 1142, MML's priority bill sponsored by Ways and Means Chair Jheanelle Wilkins, establishes a Task Force to Modernize County and Municipal Revenue Structures. This "blue-ribbon" commission will study alternative revenue sources - such as those used in other states - to ensure our communities can remain fiscally resilient without placing the entire burden on property owners.

MML testified Favorable with Amendments on SB 389, which would modify the State’s Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) framework. The bill would automatically designate qualifying TODs as Enterprise Zones and require that development impact fees and excise taxes for residential TOD projects be collected only after construction is complete and a certificate of occupancy is issued.

MML supports transit-oriented development and rail-adjacent housing growth. However, we raised concerns that automatic Enterprise Zone designation would apply a 10-year local property tax credit without local approval, creating significant fiscal implications for municipalities. We also expressed concern that delaying impact fee collection shifts infrastructure financing risk to local governments.

The winter issue of the National Civic Review examines how local democracy is being reshaped in response to declining trust, deepening divisions, and rapid technological change. From the role of community foundations and bridging institutions to new models of local governance, civic dialogue in schools, and the emerging implications of artificial intelligence, contributors explore what democracy actually looks like on the ground today. Together, these pieces highlight the evolving practices, leadership, and cultural forces shaping more inclusive, responsive, and resilient communities.